


An Unexpected Prophecy

by PassionateFangirl



Series: Amaryllis Saga [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: AU, Angst, Coming of Age, Family, Gratuitous Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, PTSD, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 73
Words: 148,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25078225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PassionateFangirl/pseuds/PassionateFangirl
Summary: Worthless.That's all Lily ever thought she was, until she is rescued by the fabled Green Ninja from an army of stone.Maybe she's capable of being a hero after all.(Currently on hiatus. I am planning to return to it in this year or the next. Thanks for being so patient!)
Relationships: Cole/Zane (Ninjago), Kai/Skylor (Ninjago), Lloyd Garmadon/Original Character(s), Nya/Jay Walker
Series: Amaryllis Saga [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816234
Kudos: 14





	1. Sweet Pea

Lily's hands shook.

The entire apartment floor shook.

Outside, things were rumbling from beneath the ground. A huge vehicle was parked next to her apartment building.

People were swarming the streets, trying to find shelter. Lily found herself screaming, and running to find somewhere, ANYWHERE, that would protect her. The kitchen seemed like a good place, although it was near a window. Then suddenly, cracks started appearing on her walls. Sirens sounded this way and that. Lily could only clutch the counter as the entire building sunk into the ground. Then the ground shifted again, and the apartment tipped over. Lily slid near the window, next to the fridge. She started to stand.

The fridge popped off of it's place, and hit her. The force was enough to knock the breath out of her, and now Lily's left leg was trapped beneath metal and wasting food. She cried, screaming. Another shaking and her window broke, glass shattering and peppering her. Lily pulled as much of her body through the window as she could, and waved her arms. Maybe, she prayed, somebody would see her.

For a moment, she had one of her hallucinations, colors swarming her vision, and she felt her heart almost stop. She began crying and heaving, as if an entire city's worth of tears was crashing down on her. "HELP ME!" 5 more colors-red, black, white, blue, and green-appeared below her window, and the hallucination ended.

There was no answer. Lily looked up to the sky through the cracked glass for a moment, asking "Why?"

Then as if He was listening-

"NINJA GO!"

She saw 5 bright colored persons open her door. The same 5 she saw at the end of her hallucination. As the place she once called home began to sink lower into the muddy ground, Lily felt the weight of the fridge being pulled off of her. A man clad in green pulled her to his side. The black colored one punched the wall, and it broke all completely, creating a doorway to safety. They all jumped onto the ground, Lily holding onto the green one. Lily blinked, finally seeing who her rescuers were.

It was...the ninja. THE NINJA! Red, blue, white, black, and green! They had saved her life! She smiled, happy the town heroes were sent to save her. She was still leaning on the green one, but she wasn't letting go. He wasn't letting go of her either.

The red one stepped forward. "Ok, let's bring her to the Bounty!" The voice sounded surprisingly younger than she imagined.

An old man with a long white beard beckoned the Ninja to the same large vehicle from before. His eyes widened when he saw Lily, but he didn't make a show of it. "Now ninja, now!"

Lily let go of the green ninja and was practically stuffed into the gigantic car. Her leg wasn't liking it. She grimaced.

The white ninja looked her way. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Lily lied. They didn't need her to give them another problem to worry about.

The car drove throughout the city, reaching one of the 5 tallest buildings-Ninjago TV News HQ. Lily was lifted out of the car and dragged inside, hundreds of other citizens following. Once every person was accounted for, the Ninja and some man in a brown suit started barricading the doors.

Lily glimpsed a body beneath some rubble outside. It wasn't moving. She looked away.

"Now we head to the stairwell!" The white ninja started guiding the people of the city up a huge circle of stairs, lights, and exhaustion. The man in the brown suit sighed. "Stairs?! It's twenty floors! Let's just take the elevator guys." He clicked the down button on the elevator next to him. The white ninja shook his head.

"It's unwise to take the elevator in an emergency situation, Dareth!"

"Well, I think I'll take my chances." Dareth smiled happily as the doors opened, revealing a green-eyed stone warrior. Dareth screamed and backed up, as the warrior locked eyes with Lily.

Before it could get to her, it's foot stuck itself in a bucket, making the creature trip and slide back into the elevator. Dareth closed it and ran off. "Ok, stairs it is! Let's get climbing everybody!"

Lily took a moment to process what just happened in front of her before limping to the stairwell. The black ninja was at her side, helping her up the first step. "Don't worry, I gotcha!" He said. The two started up the stairwell, the barricade breaking apart and stone warriors barging in.

"Dare gas zol huhja noo misadaes dahf! BEQUEATH!" They shouted.

"I'm going to throw you! KAI, CATCH!" The black ninja said.

Before Lily could even say "WHAT?!" she was launched into the air, sailing for a bit before landing in the arms of the red ninja. It never occurred to her that they had actual names, and his was probably Kai.

Kai ran forwards and handed Lily to a person she recognized as her neighbor two doors down, John, running up the stairs. "She's hurt, help her up!" Kai ran back down to meet with the other two, who had gathered to block the incoming trespassers. A swirling vortex of blue lightning shot past Lily, and the green ninja charged into battle. Lily wanted to watch the chaos, but knew it would be better to keep going up. Only 10 more flights and she would be safe.

"Hey John." She smiled.

"Hey Lily. This is awkward." He replied.

The two only ever talked when they saw each other in the morning collecting mail, so this was awkward.

"WHAT THE HECK!" A shrill voice shouted from below. A stone warrior was suddenly catapulted through the many flights, and caught the railing a few feet away from where Lily was. She and John shuffled faster. The hands of the warrior dented the metal with ease, climbing up and growling. He chased down Lily and John, screaming "BEQUEATH!" And much to the warrior's delight, the two were slowing down.

"Oh geez! Come on, we gotta go faster!" John begged. "Lily, get moving! ...Lily?"

Lily had hallucinated again, thousands of colors dancing across her eyes. She could not answer him or react as the warrior grabbed her bad leg, pulling it hard enough she was fairly sure she dislocated something somewhere. "U GOK HUHJA NOO MISADAES DAHF!" The thing screamed. Lily let go of John and clutched the railing, snapping out of her trance. John tried to push the stone warrior away, but he just picked him up and threw him over the side.

"JOHN!" Lily called out for him. The warrior kept pulling her along by the leg, Lily desperately attempting to separate it's grip from her skin with her bare hands. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Tears filled her eyes. "Please! LET GO OF ME! SOMEBODY!" She was all alone in the stairwell, everyone else reached the top.

"NINJA GO!"

A green colored tornado slammed into the warrior, finally freeing Lily's leg. "Let's go!" He didn't bother to walk with Lily, instead picking her up with his own strength and flying up the flight of stairs. 4 four colored figures spun up behind him, one carrying John, and the little team found their way to the top. Lily clutched the shirt of the green ninja, shaking.

"WE NEED HELP! Everyone get onto the Bounty!" The green one yelled, as the mass of people crossed over onto the Fabled Flying Ship. Lily was handed off to others. She reached out, trying to get back to the ninja, but found herself in the arms of the old man instead.

"Is it truly you?" He asked her, eyes full of concern.

"...What?" Lily looked at her leg for one moment out of curiosity, and held back the urge to throw up.

This next paragraph is _not for the faint of heart._

Her leg was missing chunks of flesh, and she could see all the way down to her bone. Bruises shaped like hands were scattered across it, and cuts flowed with blood. She couldn't feel anything, not from her thigh down. Lily's vision went colorful once more, and she was overwhelmed by fear and happiness, before everything went black.

\---

Lily woke up in the bounty's infirmary, at least she thought.

She looked around for a moment, and then saw a young man in a blue suit reading a book. He looked up and did a double take, throwing the book down. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" His eyes looked familiar?

"Huh?"

"With your leg and everything that happened, I thought you were dead."

"Huh?"

"Or in a coma!"

"Huh?"

The boy stopped talking and cleared his throat. "S-sorry...uh, I'm the one who-er, saved you yesterday. From the fridge, and the stone warrior. My name is Jay, I'm-"

"ONE OF THE N-NINJA!" Lily sat up and buckled back, heaving. "T-T-THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YESTERDAY! I! Uh! ...Wait, you? You're the Blue Ninja of Lightning? You're so..." Lily's eyes trailed to Jay's reddish-brown, tousled hair, then to his blue and brown sandals, then to his worried blue eyes. "Young."

Jay made a small frown. "Yeah. Uh. Sure. Listen, my master-"

"Why aren't there more people in this infirmary? There were a lot injured." Lily interrupted.

Jay gave a nervous laugh. "You're not exactly in the infirmary..."

"Then where am I?!"

"Our room."

Lily coughed and tried to slowly sneak out of whichever Ninja's bed she was put in. "Uh, was the infirmary too full?"

"Yes and no. You see, my master wants to-"

The door opened, and the old man from before walked in, staff in hand. A woman with grey hair and an archaeologist's outfit followed after him, and after her a boy younger than Jay. He had blonde hair that was quite unkempt and a green outfit. Lily quickly tucked herself back into the bed.

"Ah! She's awake! There wasn't any trouble, right Jay?"

"No Master Wu, she just slept." Jay smiled with certainty.

Lily was about to comment on the situation when more colors flashed before her, and her chest swelled with relief. Lily tried to snap out of it, and did so by simply letting it pass. She opened her eyes and saw the group staring at her. "I-I'm sorry!" Lily apologized. "I have hallucinations from time to time...it's not bad! I just see colors. Sorry..."

"No, you're quite alright. Misako, take her cast off." Wu motioned to the bright white cast that covered Lily's bad leg. As Misako began to undo it with a small switchblade tool (which seemed impossible but here she was, doing it), Lily squirmed. "No no! It hasn't healed yet! It's going to look so bad-I can't look!"

The cast came off, and her leg sat there, perfectly normal.

Save for some brightly colored lavender scars that scattered all over it.

Lily lost her speech ability. She simply traced a finger lightly over the scars that contrasted with her pale white skin. It felt completely normal, and she let out a small chuckle. "Wow..."

The blonde was fidgeting and overlapping his thumbs, one over the other. Finally he spoke up. "I-"

"Wait! You're-him! The Green Ninja! You saved me when my apartment fell! I just...t-thank you!" Lily got up, her leg moving as if nothing happened to it at all, and took his hands. "Thank you. All of you. Without you, I'd probably be dead."

The Green Ninja tugged his shaky hands away. "Yeah, listen...I'm...I'm really really really sorry!" He suddenly pushed aside his uncle and mother, and knelt to the ground, kneeling with his head on the old floorboards. "Your apartment...I'm the one who crushed it! It was only an accident."

"...What?"

"I made an earthquake with my powers to deal with the Stone Warriors. It was more powerful than my intent. It, it went over to your house, and it started to drop into the ground."

"...Eh?"

"Thankfully. You were the only one inside."

That was right. Memories were coming back. When the quakes first began, a large one struck the apartment. Her entire complex fled to the next building. Lily was napping during the ordeal, and woke when a book fell on her head. Light-headed and half-asleep, Lily stumbled around the mess of her home, until the next quake began and she came to her senses.

But that next quake that destroyed her home...was caused by the Green Ninja?

He was still bowing deeply to her, shaking. Lily sighed. "I...I don't feel so...great..."

She closed her eyes.


	2. Orange Lily

Lily opened her eyes again.

"Misako, let me see it again."

Misako nodded and complied to Wu's request. She tugged out a scroll-shaped bag out from behind her and opened it, a small patch of papyrus with ink and colors scrawled onto it slid out. She unfurled it and read the following:

_To know the Master of Soul, know this._

_The Master of Soul's body will recreate what it has lost._

_She will be saved by the Green Ninja, and in turn save him too._

_She is vital to the Ninja of Prophecy, just as they are to her._

Misako put the paper back, and Wu nodded. "It must be true. She must be the one."

"Are you talking about me?" Lily asked.

The two's heads snapped up to see Lily wide awake. Wu scratched his wrinkled chin. "...I don't exactly know that yet. But if you don' mind, now that you've woke, we have some questions for you."

"Ok."

"How long have you had these hallucinations?"

Lily hoped she was just dreaming and went along with it. "Ever since I was a baby. Mom always said they would wake me up at night." She gave a nervous chuckle. "It's strange. When I describe it, it sounds like a seizure, but...it's really not. I'm perfectly fine after they happen."

"How do you feel when they happen?"

"How do I...feel?" Lily looked down for a moment. "Uh...it depends. I feel happy, or sad, or scared, or mad, or even all of the above...but always in a sudden surge. I can't explain it." She pinched herself, hoping to wake up. "Just curious-am I dreaming?"

Wu shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"HA! That's what they always say!" Lily got up from the bed. "That must mean the apartment never fell into the ground! I'm gonna close my eyes, wake up, and be in my own house! I knew it was too good to be true that I actually met the NINJA!" Lily closed her eyes tightly shut, and opened them.

Nothing had changed. The room was still lukewarm and she was still being stared at. Misako sighed. "First of all, you're not dreaming, this is real." She got out of her chair and knelt beside Lily, poking her arm, causing her to recoil. "See? You can clearly feel that. ...I'm sorry, but your apartment is gone. It's not coming back, and you really did meet the ninja."

At that moment, Lloyd walked in, the old ship door creaking open. "Uncle, how is-" He made eye contact with her.

Lily's long fingers curled into fists. "You...you destroyed my home?"

Lloyd backed away, the floor squeaky with each step. "Please forgive me, I'm sorry..."

Her left breast, right where her heart was, suddenly crackled with energy, and she growled. "You."

Lloyd started running.

"YOU DID THIS!" Lily sped after him, her legs moving in a way she had never felt before. Muscles she hadn't thought existed were pulsing and her heartbeat went up by a million. "YOU DESTROYED MY HOME!" She suddenly ran into somebody, and was stopped.

"Hey hey hey! Get a hold of yourself." She knew that voice. Was it...

"The Black Ninja!" Lily gasped and backed up. "I-He-ruined everything! He destroyed my home!" She felt that energy tingling over her heart again. "HE NEEDS TO BE PUNISHED!"

"And you need to calm down!" Behind the Black Ninja, there was the Red Ninja, Kai, Jay, and the White Ninja walking forward, Lloyd behind them. He had his hands up in a defensive position.

"CALM DOWN? AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!" She started for Lloyd. Her eyes swam with tears.

"I'm sorry but you'll thank me later!"

Cole threw a huge fist at her head, and she abruptly fell.

Lily woke up again, this time in a different bed.

"Cole, please be more careful next time! You could have put her in a coma!"

"Sorry master..."

A cold towel was folded over Lily's head. She saw somebody with what looked like a beard and long hair.

"Jesus?"

Her eyesight focused, and Wu shook his head. "No, it's just me. How's your head?"

"Fine, I guess." Lily sat up. "My heart won't stop beating like I just ran though." She clutched the fabric of the futon. "And...Lloyd."

Wu put an arm around her shoulder. "I understand your anger, but do not let it blind you. He saved your life, did he not?" His wise eyes were not something Lily could see herself arguing with.

"...I guess." She got up and looked at Cole, who was holding a wooden cup of tea. It smelled like chamomile.

He held it out. "I'm sorry about before, but I didn't know what to do. Here, have this. Some Sereni-Tea." The liquid inside was a swirling purple, with some lavender petals inside. Lily gingerly took the beverage and drank it. It tasted like...honey. Her favorite food. She could feel sunlight pouring into her lungs, raindrops trickling down her spine, and birds singing in her ears. She finished the cup and gave out a long sigh.

"That's good stuff." She gave Cole back the cup. "Helps after being knocked out 3 times in a day."

"Again, _real_ sorry about that."

Lily looked down at her leg, the brightly colored scars reminding her that she needed answers. She turned to Wu. "Uh, Wu? How...how did my leg become like this?"

The old man leaned on his staff. "You know the Ninja have elemental powers, correct?"

"Yes. Cole has the power of Earth, Jay the power of Lightning, etc."

"What if I told you that you have elemental powers as well?"

Time stopped for a moment. Lily blinked once, twice, and cleared her throat. "What?"

"Cole, can you please give us a moment?" Wu asked his student. Cole nodded, leaving the room with the teacup. Wu continued. "When I was a younger man, I met somebody who had extraordinary abilities. She could see into souls. She could lift mental limiters off of her body. She could heal faster than anyone, herself and others. Her name was Yuri, and she held the title of master of Soul.

"I learned from on old friend that a master of Soul would come as part of a century-old prophecy. It stated that she would save the fabled Green Ninja from doom after he saved her. After one of my first students saved her from falling, I knew the prophecy must have been coming true. Somehow. I was too ignorant to notice the missing pieces.

"She helped train him, but as time passed, I learned he was not the Green Ninja. He left me, and Yuri married a shogun in order to stop his grip on her homeland. The two did end up truly falling in love with each other, but she died in childbirth. Her child...was your mother, Anastasia."

Lily choked on air, stumbling a bit. "How do you know her name?"

Wu did not answer the question. "Whenever Yuri used her power to see souls, she always described it as seeing colors instead of people. That is how your hallucinations go, correct?"

She gulped and nodded.

"I believe you are the current master of Soul. You have Yuri's eyes." Wu brushed some loose hair from Lily's face, exposing her pupils. "I know this is sudden, and I'm sorry...but the world needs you. Right now. You are a part of the Final Battle."

"My name is Amaryllis Gabel. You can call me Lily." Lily spoke softly. "Does this mean I'm a Ninja now?"

"If you wish to train as one." Wu said.

"First, tell me everything." Lily begged.

Wu sat down and told her all she needed to know.


	3. Zinnia

After she was given every detail she could scrounge out of Wu, Lily went out to meet her new teammates.

They were boarding the boat, chattering about the ship being unable to fly. She recognized Jay and Cole, but (the one who was probably) Kai and the White Ninja were a little more unfamiliar. A girl with a short black bob cut and a red dress walked beside Jay, and right behind her was-

Lloyd.

Lily grimaced slightly.

"Students! I have some news for you." Wu announced. Lily shuffled a bit behind him. They all looked up.

"It's about the chick, isn't it?" Kai let out. This earned him an elbow in the gut from the girl.

"I would like you to meet your new teammate. The master of Soul, Amaryllis." Wu stepped to the side a bit dramatically, letting them see Lily. She raised a hand shyly.

"Uh...hey."

This earned a chorus of "WHAT"s and "Who"s and in general a bunch of confused chaos. Wu put his hands up. "Students, please! I know this is sudden, but she is vital to the prophecy. She is vital to the Final Battle." The voices died down, expect for one.

"Uncle, I don't understand. How is she-" Lloyd motioned to Lily. "Vital to us?" He pointed to himself and motioned to the group with his other hand. "There was no mention of this in the prophecy. NONE. You can't just drop a bomb on us like that!"

"I couldn't tell you because I wasn't sure myself. So much time has passed since it was first told to me, I thought it may have simply been an old wives' tale. But she confirmed it. The prophecy stated she would be able to repair whatever she lost, and she repaired her leg. It also said you would save her, Lloyd, and you did."

"I also wrecked her house!"

"Right, we still need to talk about that!" At the mention of the incident, a fire reignited for Lily. She stepped forward. "I'm still not sure about working with him, Wu."

"That's Sensei Wu to you!" Cole corrected.

"Well EXCUSE ME, I just met the guy and he just became my teacher five minutes ago!"

"STUDENTS!"

Wu slammed the butt of his staff on the ground, his booming voice echoing across the canyon where the boat rested. "I will not tolerate this behavior! Whatever problems you have with one another, sort them out now! We have bigger things to worry about."

"Can I at least ask what the master of Soul is? What does it do? Doesn't sound like an element to be honest." The girl questioned the old man.

"She has the ability to manipulate her own life force and bodily energy, and once she gets stronger, _all of yours_."

Everyone stepped back warily. Lily looked away. She herself had only learned of this a little bit ago, and it still shook her to the core. She shouldn't have that much power, it didn't feel right. She was only human. Then again, she was standing in front of people who could use the elements however they wished.

"We still need to talk about the Stone Army." Kai piped up. "We just got our tails handed to us last time. We couldn't stop even _one_ of them." He crossed his arms, his spiky brown hair shifting in the breeze. "A lot of people got hurt. A lot more didn't make it. I hate feeling so helpless." The girl offered him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"We mustn't give up hope, Kai." Wu chided.

"But the stone army is indestructible." Lloyd butted in. "You saw it. Amy-Ame...las...She experienced it."

"My friends call me Lily." Lily responded to Lloyd's terrible pronunciation of her full name.

"Ok, LILY experienced it."

"I said my _friends_." Lily said with a cold snark.

"Hey hey hey, that was uncalled for." The Blue Ninja wormed his way in-between Lloyd and Lily. "How about we try and settle this little dispute. And in fact, forget the Stone Army. If we can at least push them back, that's enough for us. For now, why is Lily our teammate and how do we deal with this?"

Wu explained what Lily already knew.

For the Prophecy, Lily was the key to defeating the Overlord, the darkest of the darkest. She would be given the title of the Violet Ninja. She would have to face the Overlord with the others by holding back the Dark Forces-The Stone Army. Lloyd would fight the Overlord himself. And from then on, if she wished, she would be a Ninja and help the others battle whatever was left dripping from the shadows of Darkness.

...She was supposed to have come earlier. She was supposed to be in the same situation with the others, trained with them for however long they have. But _no_. Fate decided to make things harder by giving her a purple leg and pushing all this crap on her too late.

The ninja murmured among themselves.

Then the woman from before-Lily recognized her as Lloyd's mother-arrived to the group. "I have good news. There is a way to defeat the Stone Army." She carried two old scrolls in her hands, calloused from years of research. She held them out. "It is told within these."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Show us!" Cole pestered.

Misako led the way into the bridge. She quickly laid down a scroll on the mapping table, unfurling it to show a beautiful ink drawing of the Ninja. Kai, Jay, Cole, and the White Ninja were all shooting out elemental power into Lloyd, who was at the top encircled by a golden dragon. Lily saw a Violet Ninja in the middle of the main 4, also giving her power to Lloyd. That must be her.

She still wasn't sure how she felt about helping the guy who destroyed her home.

"It is said here that the power to defeat the Stone Army lies within the Green Ninja." Misako interpreted the symbols.

Lloyd interrupted her. "I TRIED! I gave them everything I had."

"Yes, but you are stronger than you think. Look." She read off more symbols. "The true power of the Green Ninja can only be unlocked when his five Protecters find their own pure elemental powers."

"Are we the Protecters?" Cole asked.

"Pfft, silly question. Of _course_ we are! Right?" Jay chuckled.

"If we are the protecters," The White Ninja spoke, his voice calming and more mature than the others, "Then we are doomed. The Golden Weapons no longer exist. We cannot tap into the elemental powers without them."

"But the powers do exist within you. The Golden Weapons were really more of a crutch. They let you use your powers at full extent without having to fully unlock them yourselves. You always had the power inside you." She smiled reassuringly, Wu nodding to confirm her sayings. "There is a way to help you find the power you have inside. We must go to the Temple of Light."

"Temple of Light? What's that?" The red-clad girl asked.

"The gold in the Golden Weapons was found the Golden Peaks, but forged in the Temple of Light. It's a powerful place I thought only existed in legend."

Wu looked at the scroll, trying to decipher it for himself, and his old eyes widened. "It's on the Dark Island?" He stroked his beard in worry.

"I think our only choice is to find out." The old woman rolled up the scrolls and tucked them safely into her bag.

"So we get our powers back? Alright!" Cole jumped up in the air, pumping a fist. His eyes were full of excitement, which spread to the others.

"But there's still one problem. The Bounty can't fly."

"It's a ship, right? Can't it sail?" Lloyd's mother asked a bit snidely.

"Silly question, of course it can sail! Right?" Jay reused the joke, hoping to make the team laugh, but nobody did, so he sighed in defeat.

Everyone quickly took off, like a band of pirates about to set sail for gold mines. "While we get the ship ready, Lily, you should take the time to meet your new teammates and offer whatever help you can. I understand you aren't as adept with sailing as the others are." Wu told his new student. Lily took his advice and followed the White Ninja, tired of calling him that in her mind. "Excuse me, mister White Ninja?"

He turned and smiled softly. "It's Zane. I assume you want to talk?"

"Uh...yeah. I just want to get to know you better."

"That sounds lovely! We can chat while I set the sails." He led her outside and handed her a giant rope. "Hold this please." He climbed the mast, untying strings of rope that held the sails to the wooden pole, letting them fall to the deck. He turned and shouted to Lily. "Now pull!"

She did, and the sails unfurled like a pair of butterfly wings. "Stop!" Lily did, the sails open halfway. She stared at the white and red designs in awe. "It's so pretty, and...big." She stumbled a bit as the ship suddenly pushed itself into the water, the boosters on the back flickering on. The open sail helped the ship move smoothly into the sea.

"Toss me that rope!"

Lily did, and Zane had the sails furl back into themselves again. He jumped down from the top of the mast, not breaking a sweat or clutching his feet in pain, and grinned. "Thanks for the help!"

"...Anytime!" She answered. "How did you just jump down here like that? Is it some sort of ninja thing?"

"Oh, uh. Yeah." Zane gave her a very serious face. "Promise me you won't freak out."

"...Ok?"

He walked up to her, and showed her his arm. He then-

Lifted.

Up.

A section.

Of it.

To reveal switches and little monitors.

"I'm a robot. A Nindroid to be exact."


	4. Daffodil

Lily was screaming on the inside.

This man, this sweet man, this mature man, _wasn't even a man_?!

She kept a smile on her face, even though it was clearly fake.

"You don't have to pretend to be ok with it." Zane closed his arm panel, a soft breeze ruffling his platinum blonde buzzcut. "I understand you're probably shocked."

Lily couldn't form words. Her smile melted into neutral frown as she pointed to his arm. She started making incomprehensible noises. "Uh-duh. Wa?"

"I was surprised myself when I found out. But please don't be scared! I would never hurt anybody, unless they are hurting someone else. It is my duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

"Heh...nindroid, you said?" Lily's mind was finally starting to wrap around this phenomenon.

"Yes, the name was actually Jay's idea."

The others knew? Lily had so many more questions, but she didn't feel so great. "I'm...I'm sorry, I need a moment."

"It's alright, take your time." Zane smiled so sweetly Lily thought she was going to start rotting.

"Thank you Zane." She walked off, wandering and wondering if any of the others had secrets like this. For all she knew, Jay could be a zombie, or Cole a ghost! She needed to sit down, the wealth of information finally weighing down on her. It's not like she completely accepted the situation like it happened everyday. She actually spent a good 10 minutes crying during her and Wu's talk. She also questioned her own existence for a solid 30 seconds afterwards. And then she just sat down in a corner and prayed for 7 minutes.

She stared at her hands, opening them.

These pale pink, freckled fingers could do so much damage. She closed them and held them to her chest, stumbling and sitting on something metal.

"Get off, get off, get off of that!" A shrill voice screeched. Lily complied and sat up, dusting off her jeans, as the girl from before (with the black pixie-bob) came running over, draping a sheet on the object. It was some kind of machine, or part of one. She sighed in relief. "Sorry, it's just really fragile. I haven't introduced myself." She stood up, her hair bobbing along with her. "My name is Nya. I'm the Red Ninja Kai's sister." She extended her hand.

Lily cautiously shook it.

"I know how you feel, learning about all this. But I promise you it's actually really fun! You can train with weapons, ride dragons, fight bad guys right out of storybooks. You'll get the hang of it, just like my brother did."

"Do you have elemental powers?" Lily questioned.

Nya laughed. "Pfft! No." She waved her hand dismissively. "I design all the cool stuff. Training mechs, vehicles, a weapon here or there. For the Bounty Jay and I had to work together to make it fly, but still. Tell me something I can't screw together."

Lily had to admit, Nya was pretty dazzling. She talked so casually about making a ship fly, and clearly was the more mature of the group. Like Zane. Oh, right, speaking of him:

"Do you know Zane is a...you know..." Lily flexed her hands in a robotic style. "Beep boop?"

The mechanic's blue eyes twinkled. "Oh, you found out about that? Yeah, I do. It was a pretty big shock, but to be honest it made sense to me. I mean, he's just...different."

"Yeah, I kind of ran off..."

"Oh." Nya bit her lip. "I highly suggest talking to him. Please trust me, it's the best bet to getting used to our nindroid friend." She motioned for Lily to leave, and she did just that. Walking through the corridors of the ship's interior, she found Zane staring at the docks outside with Wu. A crowd had begun to gather, probably to thank the ninja for earlier.

"Zane!" She called out. "I'm, sorry. For running away. Just because you're a machine doesn't mean-"

"You are fine! No need to apologize." Zane smiled politely. "Just promise me we can be good teammates?" He held out his hand.

Lily blinked, and smiled for the first time in a while. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?" She clasped his hand.

_Suddenly, images began flashing through her mind. She saw Zane, wearing a white jumper, doing continuous activities with a man-from cooking, playing, to even chopping wood. As each scene went by, the man grew a little bit older, until he was lying on his bed, aged and frail. He opened Zane's chest, and clicked a switch. Zane's face went blank._

Lily let go of Zane's hand. The two stared into each other's eyes. They both were shaking.

"I saw you...with a man...your father?" Lily asked him. She started to cry, not knowing why. "You were happy, then sad, then nothing, then lost."

"I saw your thoughts. I felt your pain...your shock." Zane's eyes were darting around, and he wasn't looking mentally well.

Lily stepped back, and fell into a barrel. Wu quickly helped her out. "Lily...what did you see?"

"I don't..."

"Tell me! What did you see?"

"Zane's memories. I know because...I don't know, actually. I don't know how I know they're his memories, but they are." She sobbed. "Sensei, I don't feel so good."

"Come with me. Quickly."

He led her to his room, and took a cup from a nightstand. He filled it with water and dug a teabag out of a drawer. Lily sighed. "Wu, I don't know if it's really the greatest time to have tea!"

"There's more to tea than just 'having it'." He responded curtly. After a few minutes, a hot cup of tea swirling with gold sat in Lily's hands. "Drink it."

She did. It tasted like butter and...melted gold. No, really. It actually tasted like gold. She coughed, trying not to throw up. "Bleh! What is this? Alloy?"

"Mentali-tea. It helps clear the mind by calming the soul."

Lily had to admit, she certainly felt a bit better. She sat the cup down. "You said I have powers...is this what you meant?"

"In a way. To be honest, even I don't know the full extent of what you can do." Wu responded, taking the cup and placing it in a stack of used ones. The materiel clinked against each other as he set it down. "We should be leaving soon. You should go talk with the rest of the team."

Lily considered his offer and complied. She bounded up the wooden stairs, running into Zane again. He still looked shocked. "I..." He began.

"It's ok. It's alright." Lily reassured him. Zane gave her a smile and walked away. Lily searched for the others, and found them in the crowd that had begun gathering before. Kai, if she remembered correctly, was chatting with Dareth. Cole on the other hand was listening to a quartet sing, led by a man that looked like a much older version of himself. Jay was getting kisses on the cheek from an old couple who were probably his parents.

Lily had family, they just weren't around often. It didn't bother her. Well, as long as she didn't bother them. Then it would become a problem.

She tried not to think about it, and instead let herself be interrupted by Dareth. "DID YOU HEAR THAT?! I'M THE BROWN NINJA!" His jumped for joy, his little potbelly jiggling in the air. In pity, the crowd cheered for him. She caught the words "Hot air" from Nya, wondering what it meant.

Somebody sighed next to her. She turned and almost screamed, Zane having stood next to her without her knowledge. He was holding a cup of the mentali-tea, stirring the liquid with gentle flicks of his wrist. She wondered for a moment if he liked alloy, since he was a robot.

She actually screamed again when something roared. High in the sky was a beast with four heads, the famed Ultra-Dragon the Ninja had tamed. It's wings glittered in the sunlight, it's jaws open and drooling. She had never been this close to the animal. It was terrifying. Like holding a giant python.

"Woah woah woah, hey!" Kai ran up the large wooden board connecting the ship to land, waving his hands. "It's ok! Flame's just sad he has to stay here. He won't hurt anybody, I promise. Lloyd's got that covered."

It didn't exactly make Lily feel much better. "It's-His, name is Flame?"

"Well, technically it's a they, and they have four names."

"I'm sorry?"

Kai put a hand on he shoulder. "I'll explain later. Right now we need to set sail, and get to know our new teammate." Cole and the others walked onto the ship behind him, nodding in agreement.

Lily looked down. "I thought you weren't excited about that."

"We just needed some time to think, that's all. So, hi." He gave her a wave. "My name is Kai Smith. I hope we can work together." Lily tentatively stared at his hand.

Cole gave a much smaller wave. "I'm Cole Bouquet."

Jay waved with both hands, wildly. "I'm Jay Walker."

"And you already know me." Nya said with a smile.

Lily nodded. Kai pulled back his fingers slightly and peered over her shoulder. "That's Zane, if you didn't know."

Lily turned to find Zane smiling at a group of fans, waving signs that read encouraging words.

"Yeah, I know him. We talked."

"So..." He extended his hand forth, hazel eyes twinkling. "Welcome to the team, I guess!"


	5. Magnolia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed the change of titles in my previous chapters. Here's a trick: look up hanakotoba and the flower's name. This will work for every chapter following.

Out of habit, she shook Kai's hand, and dove into his memories.

_She saw a little Kai, running to the door to answer it. He opened it with a smile. "Mom? Dad? I made something for you while you were gone!" But the person standing at the door didn't look like either of them. He said with a grim face, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."_

She let go, stumbling back into Zane, and they both fell. Kai fell backwards too, but was caught by his teammates. He stared at Lily with a face of pure shock and revelation. "Was...how?"

"There was a flash of purple light when she touched your hand." Jay explained. "And then you both fell over."

"Is it related to your power somehow, Lily?" Cole asked, confused. "I don't know if purple fire exists."

She got up, wiping away tears and broken dreams. "I don't know...I just...It happened with Zane, too. I just touch somebody's hand," She mimed doing just that, "And I see what looks like memories. I feel what they felt in those memories, and what they feel at this moment too. I can't explain it."

Kai got back up on his feet, and the entire team stared. Lloyd ran onto the boat. "Sorry I'm late...what happened?"

Lily simply walked forward. The team moved out of the way to let her pass, Lloyd taking a step back as to not have her bump into him. Lily kept walking, down the stairs, to her designated room by Wu. Which was, for now, another futon in Wu's room. So just Wu's room, really.

She curled up and thought to herself.

She could hear people cheering for them outside. She had joined not even 10 minutes ago, and people already saw her as one of them? How? How did they do it, change so easily?

"Did you make sure to pack clean underwear?!" A woman's voice yelled.

"Yes! ... _Mom_!" Jay answered her, everyone else chuckling at the interaction.

She would never be able to be that close, that intimate. No matter how hard she tried. She just couldn't see herself as that. Lily never did that with anybody.

Somebody knocked on the door. "Hey, Lily? You in there?" Nya's voice asked from the other side.

"Yeah."

Nya walked in, holding a couple sets of robes in her arms. "I figured you'd need some clothes. You can borrow some from me. I've never needed to use them, anyway." She laid them next to her. "I know it's hard, getting thrusted into all of this."

Lily turned away.

"Whatever part you play, I'm glad to have you here. Even if you had nothing to do with us." She smiled. "The black robes are for tomorrow, and the blue set is for tonight. Funny story, actually, Jay bought me those to wear casually, but they were too big for me to wear. I hope you'll make some use of them."

"...Thanks."

Nya left. Lily was surrounded by her own thoughts. She shook her head, slapping her cheeks with her hands, and got up. She may as well do something productive. So Lily went to explore the giant ship, Destiny's Bounty.

There were long wooden halls, the sound of the ocean flowing beneath them. She passed rooms, rooms with training dummies in them, rooms with piles of clothes, rooms with tea boxes and rooms with books. One room was full of weaponry, which she found most interesting. There were creations of all kinds, refined by whoever smithed them into existence. Sais, flails, bows, you name it. She found herself tracing the edge of an arrow. The metal, lighter than anything she'd ever seen, sung under her touch.

Lily turned, and something seemed to speak to her. It was a pair of twin sickles, each engraved with characters upon the tips. Their hilts were a mahogany, almost beating with life out of spite for the cutters of the tree it came from. The sheaths lying below had flowers carved onto them. This was very intricate. Lily wanted to hold it in her hand, feel it's power surging through her.

She took one off the stand, and held it for a moment. She did a gentle swing in one direction, the blade singing in the air. She thrusted it forward in an unorthodox fashion, careful not to cut herself or hack the wall.

Somebody opened the door, and she felt her face go red. Jay and her stared at each other, Lily locked in a pose with the weapon. "Uh...pretty cool, isn't it?"

"...Yeah..." He blinked. "Wait, put that down! If not handled correctly, you could hurt yourself." He took it from her hand and set it back on its resting place, sighing. "Sorry. One time I picked up a _kusarigama_ and gave it a little swing, almost chopped my legs off." He smiled sheepishly. "I'd rather you keep your limbs too."

"Wait. I do have these healing powers. Could I just...grow them back?"

Jay was about to retort, then put a finger to his chin. "That's a good point." He shook his head. "Let's not test it now, though." The two walked out of the room, Jay closing the door behind him. "Ya know, if you wanna become a ninja...I think those twin _kama_ would be a perfect fit for you."

"You think?"

"Sometimes a weapon speaks to you. You don't choose it, it chooses you. You'll understand if you take up Wu's offer to join the team for real." He gave her a smile and turned to walk in the other direction, whistling. Lily took one last look at the door, and left it's view herself. She was a little hungry.

She had no idea where the kitchen was, but she did find some interesting things along the way. Scrolls tacked on the wall displayed people using the elements, but they looked nothing like the Ninja. In the occasional corner, a little vase sat. Nothing was in it, though.

She bumped into somebody. That somebody was Lloyd.

Lily frowned upon seeing him, Lloyd inching away from her. Just as she was about to leave him, Lloyd grabbed her arm. "Wait, I can make it up to you!"

"...With what, Lloyd?"

"I'll...show you around?"

"Help me find the kitchen, please."

He smiled out of relief, and pulled her along. His grip was a little strong, but it didn't hurt. Left, right, up, left again, and a room smelling of food appeared in front of her. "...Ta-daaa." Lloyd motioned to the kitchen.

Lily nodded. "Thanks." She didn't even glance at him.

"Ok. I get it." Lloyd crossed his arms. "You're mad because I destroyed your house. I understand. But it was an accident. And nobody died. I'm really, really sorry. Can you stop holding a grudge now? Nobody in Ninjago City has a place to go back to anyway-the Stone Army decimated everything else."

Lily considered this. She dug through the fridge, found cactus berry, and slammed it shut. "...I'll try."

"Lily, like it or not, you're a part of this team now. Even if it's for a little bit. And I like to be on a good level with my teammates."

"That's cool."

"...Are you actually registering what I'm saying?"

"Mmmhm."

Lloyd sighed and sat down. "You're giving me really bad vibes, you know that?"

"Fine then."

"What can I do to make you feel better? I led you to the kitchen and you're _still_ acting like-"

"JUST SHUT UP FOR 1 MINUTE!" Lily snapped, stomping the floor. The cactus berry in her hand was crushed, it's juices spilling everywhere. The wood beneath her cracked, and broke, the pieces falling onto Zane's head below. He looked up, confused.

Lily dropped the berry and stared at her hands. Her veins were glowing, a gentle lavender fading in and out. Lloyd got up to get a closer look. They locked eyes.

"Woah."


	6. Anenome

"Your brain has mental limiters." Wu explained. "Try and pick up...let's say, a boulder. All on your own. You actually have the strength, but your brain stops you-because otherwise, you'd hurt yourself doing the deed." He tapped Lily's nose with his staff. "What you can do is remove that limit altogether, and take strength away from other parts of her body to fuel another, as to not break it. For instance, to pick up a steel blade imbedded in the ground, perhaps your shoulder would become weak by transferring all it's strength to your arm. After you pick up the blade, your body will go back to the way it was."

"Will I be able to do that to other people too?"

"Someday, if you hone your ability enough, yes." Wu scratched his beard. "It's a rather complicated process, even for the most powerful welders of this element. But don't worry." He looked to the horizon, the sun starting to set on the sea's waters. "We still have a long journey ahead of us."

Lily went over to the other Ninja, who were chatting and bickering about the island. She noticed Cole perk up when Zane drew near. "Still no word from your falcon?" He asked.

"Falcon?" Lily echoed.

"Not yet." Zane replied absentmindedly.

Cole looked slightly deflated at the response. He then suddenly seemed to notice Lily's confusion and cleared his throat. "Oh, uh, Zane has a pet robot falcon that he sends to do scout missions for us."

"How many things on this ship are robotic?"

Nya laughed. "How much time do you have?" She asked sarcastically.

Kai tried to change the subject from robot falcons to island discovery. "I wonder what's on the island."

"An entirely new ecosystem?" Zane piped up, smiling again.

"Never before seen creatures?" Cole added.

"Ooh, vegetables that taste like dessert?" Jay said with hope in his eyes (or on his tastebuds).

Lily yawned. "Wu said it was like the dark to Ninjago's light. Maybe we'll find evil versions of ourselves there."

The 5 ninja looked at each other and broke out into laughter.

"Sorry, sorry," Kai wiped his eye. "It's just that we've already done that before. I just hope the Stone Army is there. They may have gotten the best of us once, but never again."

"You said it!"

"Here here!"

Lily felt the wood of the ship creak under her grip.

"I wonder...if this is the end of our destiny." Lloyd mused. He made eye contact with Lily and looked away, guilty.

"If it is, there isn't anybody else I'd want on my side." Kai replied. He took Lily's hand and pulled her into the bulk of the group, trapping her in a headlock. "Goes for you too, newbie!"

"H-hey! Let go of me!" Lily tried to resist his (quite muscled) biceps squeezed around her neck.

Kai smirked. "If you're gonna survive on the Dark Island, you'll have to know a little self-defense. Let's begin by getting out of an enemy's grip." He let her go. "You have to be loose. The more you struggle, the tighter the enemy tends to hold you. If you stay relaxed, they get relaxed, and you have a better chance at getting away."

Zane suddenly snapped to attention, his eyes a glowing blue. "My falcon has arrived at the Dark Island!"

Lily stumbled a bit, unnerved by the sudden change.

"We should go to the main deck." He told the group, walking that way. Lily followed, hesitant but curious. Zane took a pair of oddly-shaped goggles and placed them upon his face, plugging a wire extending from them into the computer. "There. Now we can all see."

On the screen was the shore of a landscape similar to Ninjago. Something was flying across it, quite majestically. Zane turned to the side, and the screen did as well.

A creature not unlike a Stone Warrior threw a boomerang with sharpened ends towards the screen, and then everything shorted out. Zane flew back across the room, the electricity not reacting well to him. He got up, pale and shaking.

"He's...gone."

"We don't know that." Wu reassured him. Zane looked away, not willing to trust him on that.

"Zane...I'm so sorry." Nya came over with her brother to help him off the ground. Kai nodded. "He was our friend too, so we're not gonna let him go in vain."

"If the Stone Army wants a fight, they got one." Zane murmured angrily.

"That's going to have to wait, we're sailing into a storm!" Misako pointed to the window, where dark black clouds had gathered and lightning danced across the ocean waves. "All hands on deck!"

"Wha-what do I do?" Lily asked, the crew running about, the storm falling over the ship. "I don't know how to pilot a ship!"

A bolt of lightning struck the tip of the mast, causing it to crack and sway. Cole turned to her. "Help us keep the mast from breaking apart!" He hefted a pile of rope over his shoulder and went out into the storm. His black hair was soaked in seconds, sticking to his face, but Cole was undeterred. He swung the rope around the mast by himself, and Lloyd jumped out into the rain to tie it for him. All ninja (expect Jay) clustered around the rope and held it.

"HOLD THE LINE!" Cole screamed over the wind.

"THE WINDS ARE TOO STRONG!" Lloyd objected. 

Lily took a deep breath and braved the storm. Her clothes stuck to her skin like leather in summertime, and she shivered. But she grabbed what part o the woven rope she could and held it. A wave shook the ship, and everyone slid down the rope, the material burning their skin. Lily's un-calloused hands left a trail of blood.

"WE NEED EVERYONE'S HELP JAY!" Zane begged his friend, who was standing under a high-rise.

"But I don't wanna get wet! I...I ONLY HAVE ONE PAIR OF UNDERWEAR!" He admitted. So his mother had a point on asking him to pack it after all, huh?

"YOU THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO BE MAKING JOKES? THE BOUNTY CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH!" Kai yelled.

"YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO BE FUNNY?!" Jay scoffed. Laughter whirled around in the storm, but as far as Lily could see, none of the Ninja were making the noise.

"Okay, LAUGH ALL YOU WANT! But we'll see who laughs last when I HAVE TO GO COMMANDO!"

"WHO'S LAUGHING?!" Cole objected.

The sea shook with the storm, and the boat buckled and swayed, although the rain began to die down. The mysterious laughter grew louder.

"Guys, why is the sea laughing at us?" Kai asked, his voice barely hearable over the wind.

"And why do I have a feeling we won't get the joke?" Jay said in response, smiling nervously.

Lily heard a few smacks on the deck, and a chattering sound. Cole turned, and let go of the rope to check it out. In an instant everyone slid towards the mast, their strength not enough. Jay finally came running over and grabbed the rope, barely holding everyone back. The boat swerved and a wave of water splashed right onto Jay. "Oh, perfect!" He cried out.

"Cole, mind telling us what the heck you let go of the rope for to look at?!" Kai snapped at his friend. Cole didn't respond, and picked up the slimy, chattering creature.

"It looks like some sort of...fish?"

The "fish" opened and closed it mouth at Cole, rows of teeth shining with water. Cole frowned, quite disturbed by the sight. "Oh, geez..."

"WAIT!" The voice belonged to Misako. "WE MUST NOT LET THE STARTEETH ON BOARD!" She was at the top of the railing, huffing. "They devour ships and won't stop until we sink!"

Cole took another look at the starteeth and it's hungry companions, before the creature curled itself around Cole's hand and bit down. He screeched, shaking off the thing and clutching his hand, fabric ripped from his glove and blood gushing from the wound. "It BIT ME!" He ripped off a piece of fabric from his leg and tied it around the bite. The little starteeth hopped over to the rope, quickly gnawing on it. Lloyd started to shake the rope, hoping to flick them off, but they only held themselves tighter. One wasn't as fast as the others and was flung away, only to end up suckered to Lily's face.

All her eyes could see was a circle of teeth, pulsing in and out like a hungry whirlpool. She screamed and let go of the rope, and the other starteeth succeeded in biting the rest of it off. The ship turned, rocking heavily in the waves, as Lloyd tried to redeem himself again and pull the creature off Lily's face.

"GET THESE THINGS OFF THE SHIP!" Kai yelled, more smacking coming from the horde of starteeth onboard. They let out this...eerie sound, like laughter, but it was unnerving. They weren't supposed to make those sounds. This had to be a creature from the Dark Island.

Hey, that meant they were close! But that also meant they were closer to dangerous things.

The starteeth finally made a popping sound as it came off Lily's face. Lloyd squeezed the thing in a tight grip before he threw it into the sea. "Are you alright?"

"My face feels numb, but otherwise I'm ok."

"You look like-never mind." Lloyd whirled around and caught a starteeth flying at him and pitched it into the waves to join it's other kind.

"You're going to finish that sentence once we get out of this storm!" Lily told him, going to help get a starteeth out of Kai's hair. The creature screeched, and Kai finally managed to get it off. "GOOD RIDDANCE, WATER VAMPIRES!" He made a gesture to the sea that made Lily cringe.

"Faster or we'll sink!"

"AHHHHHH!" Jay shrieked, another scream to add to the chaos of yells and laughter. His back was covered in starteeth, the little things knowing at his robes. These were special garbs, so they couldn't chew through it as easily, but they were still getting there. "GET THEM OFF GET THEM OFF!" He spun around in circles so fast he ended up doing Spinjitsu. The blue and yellow-tinged lightning tornado spun around, squeezing the starteeth in a vortex of electricity and then throwing them in another direction. 

Unfortunately, that direction was the sails.

Despite the problem, everyone else jumped up, kicked back, whipped around and spun into a tornado of elements, whirling around Lily. It was truly a sight to see. Cole's was filled with dirt, rocks, and seeds, Kai's was all different shades of fire. Zane's was cold to even look at, the ice like a blizzard, while Lloyd's felt like the light of Heaven itself.

A starteeth suddenly made it's way onto Lily's stomach, grabbing at her shirt's hem and ripping it to shreds. She angrily tore it off, fabric with it, and threw it at the deck with enough force it went limp, it's mouth still opening and closing like a fish. Lily chucked it into the sea, only a small splash erupting from the waves.

"GUYS, I THINK WE HAVE A BIGGER PROBLEM!" Lloyd pointed to the bow of the boat, a circle of starteeth munching on the wood. Jay made one last comment on his underwear, and then the teeth broke through.

Thankfully, it wasn't low enough to completely sink the ship, but wasn't high enough to stop water from coming in. The storm clouds rolled away, the faint thunder and lightning echoing in the distance. Everyone rushed downstairs to find a pool of water flowing into the ship. "I got this," Kai pushed everyone back, and spun into a flame, whirling the water around and evaporating it at the touch. But even he couldn't rid them of all the water, and Nya went to grab a bucket.

"You said I looked like...?" Lily asked Lloyd quietly.

"...Like an octopus kissed you." He responded, hanging his head in guilt. "You look like an octopus kissed you."


	7. Makhmali

Because of the damage the starteeth did to her shirt, Lily changed into the black robes Nya had gotten for her. They were reminiscent of the Ninja's garb, but rather plain and bland. It came with a hood, but Lily preferred not to put it on. It didn't feel right. Not yet.

She passed the single bucket along the line of Ninja, slowly dumping out the spilling of water into the sea. Kai complained about the rudder's damage, and Lily just stared off into the sea, passing the bucket to her left, wondering if she really should have come along.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Zane suddenly dropping the bucket and standing up straight, like he had seen a ghost. Cole was by his side in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"I...sense something."

"Is it the falcon? Is he alright?"

"No, it's...uh..." Zane hesitated, but that hesitation was soon revered to be shock. "Something else! BRACE YOURSELVES!"

The ship tipped upwards and slid, everyone falling back. Water splashed onto Lily's garb, soaking it fully. She groaned, and poked her head out of the hole. There was...sand!

She leapt out, splashing in the waters of the sea to reach the land, overjoyed to finally be somewhere, until she saw it was just a small island with an old lighthouse teetering on it's rocky hill. Exasperated, Lily let her arms raise up and slap at her sides, the water lapping at her feet.

"What's an old lighthouse doing out here?" Lloyd wondered aloud.

"It's not a lighthouse...it's a prison." Zane said. And he certainly seemed right. There was no light source at the top, and no windows. No stairs to get anywhere, other than the entrance, and that too was barred up. The entire thing was made of well-placed stone, and just looking at the place now gave Lily a nauseating feel in her belly.

"Maybe we should go check it out? Whoever's here might be able to help us." Nya suggested.

"But if it's a prison, doesn't that mean there's a prisoner? Maybe they're locked up in there for good reason. They could be cannibals!" Jay shivered. "They could trick us into eating our very own flesh..."

"Ew, stop." Kai gagged a little. "Look on the bright side. This prison is out in the middle of the sea. They probably used up any supply they had years ago. They're surely dead. I just hope we can scrounge something up from there on our own."

Either way, Zane started for the long, winding staircase, and the rest had no choice but to follow. The smell of the sea wasn't normal here-it smelled more like algae and rotting fish than salt and beaches. The waves made this deep grinding noise, like the Earth was rubbing itself together.

"I should have brought an extra pair-" Jay started.

"Say one more word about your stupid underwear problem and I will chuck you into the sea myself!" Lily snapped, tired of his complaining. Jay, startled, slipped on a step and caught himself on a rock beside him. The sea made that grinding sound again, only this time...it seemed louder.

"Sorry, Jay." Lily apologized. But Jay was too busy looking out at the sea. Even Wu was a bit disturbed by the eeriness of this place. "Mysterious...we better keep going."

The door wasn't much further up, and it was actually quite a peculiar door. Probably because of the security camera up and running above it, staring at the Ninja.

"Sh-should we smile?" Jay suggested.

Somebody from behind the door unlocked it, and an old man appeared in the doorway. Although his skin sagged on his cheeks, his eyes seemed quite young, especially when they lit up as he saw Zane, and he gave the biggest smile Lily had ever seen. "ZANE! Is it really you? You, you found me!" He wrapped his arms around the nindroid, Zane's expression a mixture of fear and utter confusion.

"Do you know him?" Lloyd asked the old man.

"Of COURSE I know him! I built him for heaven's sake!" The old man chuckled. He hugged Zane again. "I prayed every day that we would find each other again. I guess somebody up there was listening!"

Zane actually seemed to short-circuit for a moment. "But...my memory tells me you have passed."

It suddenly clicked. The old man looked just like Zane's father, the one in his memories. But he had died...Lily had seen and felt the pain herself. Even though she had never once met this man, she found herself fighting back tears seeing him alive.

"Memory...Ah! You've found your memory switch." He smiled. "I knew it was inevitable-"

The sea started churning and grinding again. This time it actually made Lily's skin crawl.

"Hurry!" The old man grabbed Zane's arm and pulled him inside. "It can't know you're here, or else there will be dues to pay."

"It?" Jay gulped.

"I'll explain everything inside, including why it is that you thought I was dead." He tugged Zane inside, everyone else following. Nya had a last, longing look at the Bounty, and then stepped into the castle-prison. As soon as her feet were on the rocky floor, the old man quickly shut the door, grabbing a key and jamming it into the lock, murmuring to himself. "Locking, barricading, hand checking..." He grabbed an old piece of dry wood and put it in front of the door, took one glance at the camera outside, and sighed. "I think we're safe. This way, come come!"

The inside smelled of oil and sea salt. Lily could hear the waves lapping at the beach outside, slowly getting quieter the further up the steps they went. Finally, the group emerged in a small, humble penthouse at the top. The old man motioned to the lamp in the middle of the room. "Please, please have a seat. You must be thirsty." Lily wondered for a moment if he had lost it because of his exile, or because he was just old.

"A seat? where?" Zane asked his father with a smile, as if the two were having an old inside joke. The old man responded by pulling a lever, and the floor opened up. The lamp disappeared into the floor, and instead a wooden table with a knitted cloth popped into view. It set itself into the floor, and the old man stood proudly.

"There of course." He said, smiling at the invention. Lily's mouth was held slightly agape, and everyone else clapped.

"Wow, that's pretty smart."

"A technical wizard."

There was a snapping of wood, and Lily looked across the room to see Jay stuffing something in his weapon holster, an empty clothespin above him. She rolled her eyes and sat down, everyone else settling in. She found Lloyd across from her, and the two exchanged an uncomfortable glance towards one another. Lily looked to the old man's direction. "Uh, excuse me sir, what is your name?"

"Dr. Robert Julien. Please, just call me Julien." He smiled at her, his wrinkled face lighting up. "It's been so long since somebody asked me my name." He clapped his hands, and a compartment next to him opened up. A cute little machine rolled out of there, carrying a collection of cups that looked like they were blown from the beach sand itself. It hopped onto the table, and began to pass out the cups. Dr. Julien got up and took a teapot from a stove, the warm smell filling the room. He gave it to the robot, who happily poured it into the cups.

Lily sniffed the cup and brought to her lips. It tasted like miso soup. Interesting.

She watched Jay next to her, who was holding his cup in both hands in front of the robot. He moved the cup to the left, and the robot adjusted its course. He moved it to the right, and the little guy's motors whirred trying to keep up. Left again, then right. Jay smiled...until it ended up pouring the substance right onto his groin.

Jay leapt up, screeching with pain, everyone else laughing at the scene. He wiped off what he could from his pants, but couldn't help himself to not smile once he sat back down.

Zane hadn't touched his tea, and instead got up, taking his father's hand. The two went over to a sheet of blueprints and talks quietly. Lily decided not to eavesdrop, although she did catch the name "Samukai" and "with an elixir". She put the cup to her mouth and finished off the tea-soup mix.

Misako and Wu murmured something to each other, and she saw Lloyd look down. Irritation crossed his face.

"And to make sure I didn't escape," Dr. Julien's voice rose, "He chained a Leviathan here to keep guard."

Lloyd perked up. "Leviathan? Is that what we heard out there?"

"...Yes."

Lily dropped her cup, alerting everyone to her presence. She looked down at it and took it back into her hands shakily. Jay reached over to her. "Hey, you okay?"

"No. No! There's a giant sea monster outside! I don't know how to fight it. I'll just be a burden. It's not like the starteeth." She babbled, the cup rolling away from her hands again. "I don't even know how to fight."

"Good news-you can't." Dr. Julien said. "This is something not even your ninja friends will be able to take down, I'm afraid. Don't beat yourself up about it. Plus, you always have time to learn."

Lily took a deep breath. "Thank you, Julien."

"Now where was I...ah, yes. When Samukai didn't return, Zane, I thought I would never see you again. But as so much time has passed I started to question if you would ever _want_ to see me again." He continued his train of thoughts, taking a deep breath. "I was afraid if you found out what horrible things I've created, you would think I was a..." He reached out for his son, and then pulled back. "A monster."

"Father, I would never think that." Zane took his hand and put it to his cheek. "We will get you out of here. I can promise you that."

Dr. Julien looked like he was about to cry. "My beautiful boy..."

The room did a collective "awww". Zane blushed, and Julien pulled him in for a hug.

"Father, now that we are together, perhaps we can invent a way off this rock." Zane broke the hug and looked around the room. "Do you have any ideas?"

Dr. Julien put a hand to his chin, thinking. "Plenty, and now that I have more hands on deck, perhaps-"

"Oh!" Jay interrupted. "Could you repair the rockets on our ship?!" He pulled Julien to the window, the poor man almost tripping to keep up with his lightning speed, and showed him the crashed ship outside. He adjusted his glasses and grinned wildly.

"That ship, has ROCKET BOOSTERS?!" He cried out.

"Well, the rotors and gears are shot..." Nya interjected, but Dr. Julien waved her away.

"Pish-posh! That's noooo matter! I'll have her up and flying by dawn!" He started giggling to himself like a mad-man and ribbed his hands together. Alright, maybe he had lost it. Even Zane was looking at him with some concern.

The brainstorming session was quickly ended by the Leviathan growling beneath the waves. Unlike the last few times, the whole island shook from the sound, everyone struggling to find something for support. Cole yelped. "IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!"

"No...something much worse." Dr. Julien looked out the window, and something large was emerging from the waves. "He's here, everyone hide! NOW!"


	8. Holly

Lily could hear the heartbeat of the beast as it's arms rose up around the prison, curling into the windows and sticking to the rock. When she peeked out behind the bookcase, she saw eyes on the tentacle, and quickly went back into hiding, trying not to breathe too loudly.

"Nobody, make a sound." Julien whispered, sitting at the table gully as the eyes poked and prodded at him. He held his mouth shut, not caring about the sea slime dripping onto his head. He looked up at the tentacle over his head, and let out a rather fake laugh. "If it isn't my old chum!"

The Leviathan didn't seem to like his pun. It peered at the assortment of cups on the table with the most questionable look a giant squid-fish could give.

Dr. Julien quickly grabbed them all and stacked them, taking two chopsticks and smacking them against the cups. Soft dings echoed from the glass, and he laughed. "Just marching to the beat of my own drum!"

The Leviathan didn't care for that pun, either. But it slowly slid down from the window, gurgling through the waters, and exiting with a large splash. Lily fell out from behind the bookcase, her legs asleep due to her uncomfortable position. The rest of the ninja also emerged, breathing sighs of relief.

"We'll have to work fast." Dr. Julien noted to himself. He looked at Nya. "Mind giving me a tour of your rocket-ship?"

She accepted, the two walking back down with Zane tagging along. Lily watched them go, before somebody hit her in the back.

"HEY!" She yelped. "Who-what?"

Kai was standing behind her. "I figured, until Dr. Julien needs us, we might as well train you to at least defend yourself." He went into a fighting stance. "I won't hurt you...not horribly." He winked.

"Uh, yeah." Lily lifted her arms up and stood on one leg, the crane pose, earning a facepalm from Wu.

"More like the flamingo pose." Kai mumbled, looking her up and down. "You're doing it all wrong, you have so much of yourself exposed. Put your hands into fists and-no, keep the thumb on the outside of your hand, okay." He got up and lifted a hand to Lily's arm. "May I?"

She reluctantly let him move her into the correct position-arms out, covering the chest area and also available to punch. She crouched just a little, in case she needed to spring at full force. Kai finished his puppeteering and went back in his fighting pose. "Am I doing it right?" Lily asked, trying to stay balanced.

"Yep. Now try and punch me."

Lily swung her fist out at him, which he easily blocked with one hand. "Fail. Cole, could you show her an example?"

The Earth Ninja came up beside her and threw a punch, so quick Lily wasn't able to catch it. She tried copying him best she could, but only ended up hitting Kai's cheek. He stumbled back, rubbing it. Lily pumped a fist. "Ha! I punched you!"

"But you could have broken your hand. That was very dangerous, you keep putting all the movement into your elbow. It could fracture your fingers." Cole advised. "Watch me, I'll go slow."

He threw a punch again, this time not as fast, and Lily copied it, hers still unpolished. Cole complimented her on her form, and the two kept punching, Kai blocking at one thrown at him. This went on for quite some time, Cole adding movements and other body parts to focus on, until she finally threw the perfect punch, knocking Kai back just a little.

"Nice!" Jay applauded. Kai shook his forearm, and gave Lily a smile of pride.

"Now," He said, suddenly rushing at Lily and grabbing her forcefully, locking her in place with his arms around her. "Let's teach you how to get out of somebody's grip!"

She responded by flailing and accidentally kicking him in the crotch.

Kai let go of her and staggered back, moaning in pain. Everyone laughed, Kai slowly surrendering to her and laying down on the floor. "That...was a dirty...move..."

"But it worked!" Jay said, laughing harder. "Oh man, wish I caught that on camera!"

"Kai, I am so sorry! I-I panicked, and..." Lily put her hands out, not knowing what to do. Kai was now in a ball on the ground, but she heard a muffled "it's ok".

Cole came up and explained what she needed to do, and then grabbed her and held her in place, her arms around her back. "Just breathe, and relax."

Lily did what he asked her to do, slowly letting her body go limp. She felt the grip loosen, and then slid down and attempted to use her head to hit his chest, but was unable to get the right hit. She tried again a couple of times, and finally managed to get him hard enough he stopped holding her...although this time it was on his chin. Cole let go and she ran from him to the other side of the room. "How'd I do?"

"Ow...well..." Cole nursed his chin. "Either way works, I suppose."

"Out of my way, pardon me!" Julien ran back into the room, stepping over Kai and pushing Lily out of his path. "I have blueprints to work on!" He was carrying a stack of them and unfurled one, grabbing a utensil and began to draw on it. Upon it's page was the Destiny's Bounty.

"I wouldn't disturb him while he's working, if I were you." Zane warned everyone. "Father gets rather annoyed if his work is interrupted." He looked over at Cole, and then Kai. "Are...are you two alright?"

"Peachy!" Kai yelled from his ball.

"Yeah yeah, s-sure, I'm fine." Cole put his hands on his hips and tried not to show his (obvious) pain.

Zane rolled his eyes. "Alright, whatever you say, 'strong leader'." He said in amusement. Lily caught a small smile from Cole.

"Yep. Just ignore the practically _paralyzed_ man over here." Kai poked his head up from his fetal position and gave Zane a look.

"You know as well as I do that there isn't much I can do to help." Zane shrugged.

Kai frowned, and curled back up. "You're right."

In little to no time Dr. Julien had laid out his final plans for the rebuilt ship, giving each of the Ninja a task based on their skills. Lily, being rather new still, held a washcloth and a bucket of soap, cleaning off anything that looked remotely like dirt on the fine ship. Although irritated, there wasn't really much else she could do.

As she drew the soapy water over the railings, she listened to Cole whistling the tune of a popular song. Lloyd gave him a side-eye, and Cole shrugged. "What? It's catchy!"

"Soup's on!" Zane came down the stairs, holding a tray of bowls filled with udon noodles. Everyone dropped their tools and crowded around him, eager to take a break and eat. Lily never had any of Zane's famous cooking before, but the smell of the meal was already making her drool like a dog.

"Wanna eat out here with us? It's gonna be a nice sunset!" Cole offered. Zane declined, stating he wanted to go have some time with his father instead, leaving behind an understanding but also dismal Black Ninja of Earth.

They crowded around a small bonfire Kai made using two sticks (and a lot of passionate anger), slurping down the meal. The second it touched her lips, Lily erupted into a squeal. "What is this?! It's heaven!"

"That, my friend, is called Zane's cooking." Nya answered. "Isn't it amazing?"

Lily didn't bother to answer as she had stuffed half the bowl's contents into her mouth. The rest of the Ninja chuckled at the sight, and quietly chatted until the last noodle disappeared. The sun continued to go down below the waves, so everyone quickly got back to work. There wasn't much else to do other than test the new additions.

There wasn't much time left anyway.

"IT'S COMING!" Dr. Julien suddenly screamed, his frail figure hobbling down the steps and waving his arms about. "EVERYBODY ON BOARD!"

On cue, a low growl made the waves bubble and churn. No...the latter was from a large tentacle rising out of the water. Lily screamed, dropping her bucket and panicking. Kai grabbed her by the arm and led her onto the ship. Above her, a large fire was raised up with ropes, holding a ginormous bulbous ball of scrap cloth afloat.

Nya took to the wheel and murmured a soft prayer, activating the newly built thrusters and steering the ship into the sea-away from the Leviathan. Just before the ship hit the water, it rose into the air, narrowly missing the large tentacles reaching for it.

The movement of the ship dodging everything was making Lily feel sick. She didn't want to throw up Zane's delicious noodles, but it seemed as though she wouldn't have a choice. She went for a bucket, but slid back as the tentacles finally grabbed 'hold of the ship. It started to pull it downwards, the thrusters pointing the Bounty's nose into the air.

Lily was starting to have second thoughts on being a Ninja. Her body flew downwards, and she hit the mast with a sickening _crack!_ and almost went squish against the upper decks had Lloyd not jumped up and caught her. The two went tumbling down, the pain in Lily's lower leg containing to rise, and Misako's body shielded them both from a nasty slam against the deck walls.

Lily's ankle wasn't pointing in the right direction. She screeched, the boat containing to move about while Misako held onto her as if she were her own. Considering how Lily felt about her family...she appreciated it deeply.

Lloyd yelled something and a large burst of Green shook the ship, releasing all but one of the large blue limbs from around it's hull. The ship stopped mid-flight, still floating above the waves, but a single tentacle was wrapped around the hull. Despite rather feeble attempts from the thrusters, it refused to let go.

Meanwhile, Lily was screaming in pain, clutching her leg. Misako was right next to her, holding her hand. "It'll be alright, don't-"

"HOW IS THIS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT?!" Lily let out a string of colorful words before screaming again. She knew her powers could heal open wounds, but she had no idea how it would react to a twisted-or rather, dislocated bone. That knowledge (or lack thereof), combined with the panic and pain one receives from such an injury, gave Lily a ragged grip on reality. She contained to spout curses and cradled her broken ankle.

She didn't notice Kai kneel in front of her. "I've dealt with these sorts of things before, but with her powers...Sensei? What do we do?!"

Even Wu seemed to be at a loss. "She should be healing it by now, but perhaps her mental state is hindering it somehow...she believes it cannot be fixed, so it will not be fixed."

Kai cracked his knuckles. "Then maybe we can set it in a place so it CAN be fixed." He wrapped his fingers around her twisted foot, and gently pulled it in the right direction. Lily shrieked, and Misako wrapped her arms around her.

"THAT'S NOT FIXING IT!" She cried out.

The Red Ninja sighed, the others standing beside him with worry on their faces. "Lily, I'm sorry...please let this work..." He gripped her ankle, and pulled it hard, the foot snapping back to it's original position.

Lily let out one last scream, and collapsed against Misako's chest. Surely, Kai saw a purple light envelope the wounded area, and saw her ankle slowly put back together by her powers. None of the ninja had seen it in action before, and it was quite the show.

Time seemed to flow backward. Her swollen ankle began to press back down, and the ligaments gently pulled it back into a normal position. Her tendons straightened out, and each toe sat up in the correct position. It was no longer red, and her joint was positioned properly, it seemed. Finally, with a small pop, it looked just as it did that morning. 

Wu reached down with his staff and rolled the foot in a circle, and it didn't seem to cause Lily any more pain. He breathed a sigh of relief. "She will be alright." The team sighed in relief, although Jay had to put a hand to his mouth. Misako insisted she take Lily inside and have a better look at it, just to make sure.

During the commotion, Zane had found himself staring at the Leviathan. He turned to his father, who had walked up beside him. "Father, you said it was...chained, right?" Zane asked Dr. Julien.

He nodded solemnly. The creature gave a cry of sorrow. It reached for the ship with it's other limbs, only inches away from pulling it back. It was a complete stalemate.

Then an idea popped into Zane's head. It was a rather insane idea for sure, but it could work. He looked over the starboard. Dr. Julien realized what his son was thinking, and pulled him back. "You can't jump in! These oceans are filled with Starteeth!"

Zane turned to his father and kissed his wrinkled forehead. "I know." He stated bluntly, and then climbed on top of the railing, raised his arms up, and fell into the sea.


	9. Erica

"Misako, I'm fine. Really! It feels better than ever." Lily insisted. To prove her point, she was balancing on her once-injured foot in a tree pose.

"There could be a fracture..." Misako said, worried.

"Sensei Wu said my power can also heal broken bones. Whatever I couldn't heal before, trust me, I'm gonna be healing it now." She wobbled, lost balance, and fell onto the white sheets of the bed, her foot raised up in the air. It had a slight lavender tint to it, which Wu assured her would disappear in a few days.

Misako sighed, defeated.

"Everyone, come up to the main deck!" Nya yelled through the intercom. "We've made it! I think!"

Lily hurried up to the control room, Nya staring out the window. At the edge of the sea, there was a line of brown that was slowly getting larger.

Kai pressed his face against the glass. "I thought it'd be...darker."

"Although there are many differences," Wu explained, "These islands were once a single place so long ago. What changed, is what inhabits them."

Kai shrugged. "Eh, still. Not impressed."

The land drew closer. Cole mumbled some things to himself, while Zane stared off into the island's dense overgrowth. With no real civilization, nature had taken over. The Bounty was prepared to land, and beach looked harmless. Lily could see Kai's disappointment. _It was Ninjago,_ Lily thought. _Just..._

The Bounty's rockets sputtered, and it suddenly went in for a nosedive. Everyone screamed, stomachs doing backflips from the speed, and the ship careened into the sand on the beach.

_Worse._

Dr. Julien got up, coughing. The view was now blocked by a mountain of sand. He sighed. "I suppose the thrusters could have used a little more work..."

"Just...great." Nya grabbed at the lever, but it was stuck. "Let me guess. The thrusters are full of sand!" She cursed in Spanish and kicked the wheel, making it spin. She stomped to the door, Julien skipping behind her. Nya forced the door to open, and sand spilled outwards in all different directions. She hopped off the gritty deck onto the beach, and everyone gathered around to survey the damage.

The entire bow was submerged in the sand. The only part that wasn't completely under was the main deck door and one set of stairs on the side, but even they were covered like snow.

"On the bright side, it seems we are hidden from view." Zane observed. "I'm going to get a shovel."

Everyone split up, some Ninja checking the perimeter, others salvaging what they could. Lily couldn't really do anything, so she bounced a little on her feet and swung her arms. She looked at her freckled hands, wondering how she was going to unlock her powers.

It didn't feel...right. She shouldn't have been allowed these powers. There were so many ill people in the world who could have used these instead. The thought made her sick. At the same time she wondered how her family didn't know about the undeserved heritage. Wait, what would her family think of her now? Sure, they never spoke, but at least they hadn't disowned her. Not yet, anyway. If they found out their daughter was...

Lily closed her eyes and shook her head. She was not going to think about that now. She shuffled up a palm tree and scanned the island. She heard a loud clang and almost fell from the tree, hanging from a sturdy palm leaf.

"Who wants to hide when you can fight?" Cole was saying, the sound having come from a shovel hitting the ground. "I'm getting tired of having our heads buried in the sand."

Her sweaty palms made her grip on the leaf loosen. "Hey guys?"

"I wanna fight these guys!"

"Guys!" Lily tried to climb higher up the leaf, but only succeeded in falling a little lower.

"But Cole, they have no apparent weakness."

"Help!" Lily was on the edge of the palm.

"It would be unwise to start a fight we cannot finish."

"GuuuUUUYS!" Lily slipped from the leaf and fell into the soft sand between Cole and Zane. She got up, spitting out the gritty minerals. "Thanks for-pleh!-helping me down." She (literally) spat out.

"That is why we must find the Temple of Light." Wu emerged from the shadows, stroking his beard. Confused, everyone thought he was referring to Lily's majestic fall, before realizing he was simply continuing Zane's previous statement. "Everyone come inside, Misako believes it will help us fight the enemy."

The crew scrambled inside, Lily staying behind to hack up more sand. "Yeah, don't-BLEH-worry 'bout me! I'm-PHEH-fine!" She grumbled, following them. Inside, Misako was already reading off her findings.

"If you find the Temple, it will help you unlock your powers without the need for the Golden Weapons."

"Wait, didn't we already do that with our True Potential?" Jay asked.

"Think of it as...a steroid. Your four are clearly hopeless in gaining full control of them yourselves in a week." Misako eyed them. Each Ninja gave her a dirty look. She smirked. "But you will have the ability to fight the Stone Army's indestructible power."

"That means we finally get to break things? Woo-hoo! I've got happy feet!" Cole threw two fists into the air. "FINALLY!"

"And Lloyd, listen. 'For once the green Ninja finds the instrument of peace'," Misako continued, "'He will strike it and know the power of the First Spinjutsu Master'."

"Would that make me an...Ultimate Spinjutsu Master, then?" Lloyd wondered aloud.

"It means you will be able to invoke the power of his Golden Dragon fighting style. You and you alone would be the only one to do so since your grandfather's birth."

The Ninja looked at her, bewildered. Lloyd snickered. "Heh. Jealous?" He crossed his arms.

"Is there anything about me?" Lily asked. Misako gave the scroll another once-over. "It appears you will simply receive a boost of power along with the other Ninja. This makes sense, considering that fact you can't quite access your power consciously yet."

"Oh..." Well, that was a little disappointing. But on the bright side, she might be able to see what she was capable of.

"Wait...no, this sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?" Kai sighed, raising a scarred eyebrow.

"The catch is that the Temple could be anywhere on the Island, and all we have is this." Wu took out a golden medallion. Inscribed on it was a large dragon, with three holes representing stars curling above it. Dr. Julien took it and examined the gold.

"Ah...like a compass! When the three holes match up, you should find the location."

"Oh, like in The Goonies!" Jay said excitedly.

"...Yes, like in The Goonies!" Julien chuckled nervously, then turned to Zane. "What is that?"

"It's movie much like one of your adventure stories, Father."

"Oooh! Sounds fun."

"What are we waiting for?" Jay snatched the medallion from Julien's hand. "Let's go!"

Lloyd smiled and got up to join them. Wu quickly put a hand on his shoulder and sat him back down. "Not you, Lloyd."

"Seriously? Are we still doing this?" He complained.

"Wu is right. If you were to come across your father, the Battle could start prematurely."

Lily was told this by Wu, and the aspect of it frightened her. The other Ninja shared a few looks. "Ha. Jealous?" Jay retorted. Lloyd responded with a scoff and a growl.

Poor Lloyd. Lily attempted to follow the ninja outside.

"Ah, you stay as well." Wu's voice made her stop in her tracks. "You are not equipped to fight anything at the moment. you will stay here and train some more."

Lily groaned.

"I could always use your help around the shop! I'm planning to build some things to give us a fighting chance!" Julien offered. Lily and Lloyd shared an uncomfortable look at one another.

"Remember, you are not to be seen, not to be heard." Wu told his students. "Garmadon doesn't know we are here. Let's keep it that way."

"Come on, Master. Have you known us to ever veer from a plan?"

Wu, Misako, and Lloyd glared at them.

"...We'll be fine." All four put their hands together in a pile. "NINJAAA-"

"Shhh!" Wu swiped a hand in the air, signaling them to shut up.

"...Go..." they whispered, lifting their hands up quietly.

Lily had never seen the raw, teenager side of them before. She'd only seen heroes who saved the day and always got out of every situation no matter what. The fact they made silly mistakes just like her? It made Lily feel a little better.

But considering the adventure ahead, also a little worse.


	10. Freesia

"Now uh, you have powers like my son and his friends?" Julien asked Lily. She nodded, handing him a hammer. "What do they do? If you don't mind me asking, of course." So polite.

"I'm not entirely sure myself, but Wu says I can strengthen my own body and telepathically connect with others through touch."

"That sounds terrific! Er, pass me 3 nails, dear?"

Lily did just that. "Uh, what brought you to make Zane anyway?"

"My wife wanted a child."

Lloyd's face went red and he spit out his soda. "Dr. Julien!" He hissed. "Really? Also, Zane's a robot! How-"

"Ep ep ep, I'm not finished, sonny. Ah, stupid nail-there we go. You see, my wife was such a sweet woman, so many plans for the future, but she was so sick." He sighed. "She begged me for a child, but I was so scared that she and the baby might get hurt, but she insisted. It was positive, we prepared the whole summer, and..." He stopped his work, going silent.

"And?"

"I'm sorry, what was I talking about?"

"...Why you built Zane?"

"Oh right, sorry. Just, remembered something. I was...mmm-mm. Forgive me, I'd actually rather not talk about that right now. Screwdriver, please."

Lloyd handed him the tool. "Sorry if this sounds personal, but how old _are_ you?"

"Beats me." He shrugged. "I stopped counting years ago. Too many candles on my cake." He rapped a knuckle on the engine. "Stupid piece of...things!" He dropped the tool into the sand. "I'm ready for lunch!" He sauntered off in the direction of food, whistling a tune.

"Lily, I think he's...really old." Lloyd whispered to Lily.

"You think?" She rolled her eyes. "I'm thinking whatever happened with his wife was really bad. Let's not bring it up again."

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who asked him first!" Lloyd opined at her. "I'm hungry too, let's go."

Lily crossed her arms on the way to the kitchen.

"You're still mad at me, aren't you."

"What gave you that idea?" Lily mumbled.

"Lily, please. I said I was sorry-"

"I know, and I appreciate that, but that's not what I mean. Lloyd...I haven't been completely honest with you." She stopped walking. "I'm not that mad about my house. I'm not even mad at you. Not since Cole knocked me out the first time."

Lloyd turned and looked at her.

"I'm mad because my life has changed, and it changed so suddenly." She continued. "Now, I'm a Ninja with superpowers fighting to stop the end of the world...and...it all started with you making my house come down." She sighed, wrapping her arms lazily around herself. "Now I'm apart of this crazy prophecy, wether I like it or not. I'm sorry I've been taking it out on you. I'm just so, frustrated and confused."

"...It's okay." Lloyd put a hand on her shoulder. "Uh, thanks for telling me all that. I feel a lot better."

"Thank you." She put a hand out. "Friends?"

He grinned. "Absolutely." He took her hand, and just before lily took it, she remembered her powers and pulled back. Lloyd looked at her in confusion.

"S-sorry, I have those crazy telepath powers, remember?" She tugged a sleeve over her hand. "I really don't like it when I go into other people's heads like that."

"Oh, right. Fist bump instead?" He smiled and changed his handshape into a fist. Lily cautiously bumped it with her knuckles.

"Break is over!" Julien walked by them, finishing off a mayonnaise sandwich. "Back to building."

"But we didn't eat yet-"

"Are we gonna just let ourselves get thrown around by the Stone Army due to lack of proper equipment? I~ don't think so!" He stretched out the "I", wagging a mayo-covered finger in the air. The two shrugged and went back to work. Lunch could wait.

Once outside, Lloyd climbed to the top of the giant drill they were working on and began to set the ridges in place. Wu returned with more clean gears and tools. Julien asked him to fetch more creek water to polish them, and he nodded. He walked by misako, who smiled at him. He smiled back...a little too happy to see her.

Lloyd watched them with an expression Lily couldn't recognize. She continued to paint the sides of the windows while listening to Lloyd and his mother's conversation. He slid off the drill and stood next to her. "So, how did you meet him?"

"Who? Sensei Wu?"

Lloyd frowned. "No, my father."

Misako got the message and nodded, sighing. "You know, he wasn't always like the way he is today. It took years for his poisoned heart to turn him evil. There was a time when I loved him very much. And he was a very proud man."

"When was that?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"When we had you." She embraced him. "You were the most...beautiful thing he had ever seen. When he held you in his arms for the first time, he wanted to be able to have the most perfect life with you." She broke the embrace. "Unfortunately, he thought he could only achieve that by remaking the world in his image. You were only 2 months old before he fought Wu for the weapons." She sighed, and giggled at the happier memories. "You were so small, so aggressive. You know, I might have some photos of you in my bag-"

"No, Mom, that's okay!" Lloyd pulled her back. "I've, uh, seen them a lot."

 _Dang it._ Lily thought. He must have been really cute as a baby.

"And now it all comes down to me fighting him." Lloyd murmured, looking down. Lily put down the paintbrush. She knew Lloyd had met Garmadon before this whole thing started, and the two must have been close. She hopped down into the sand, and walked up to Lloyd to give him a comforting hug.

Her intentions were interrupted by a giant saw blade striking the ground in-between them, barely missing her toes. She stumbled back, hitting the driller. "The heck!?"

There was a line in the trees cut perfectly, bamboo shoots tipping over or sliced to bits. No doubt done by the blade. Lloyd ran to the path, following the perfectly sliced destruction. Misako followed. Lily thought it would be wise to stay here with Julien. But she was...eager to see them fight a real enemy.

This was very stupid.

Eh.

Lily ran into the woods, the sounds of struggling growing closer with every step. She heard the echo of what appearing to be an avalanche, but saw nothing, and no mountains it could slide down upon. Continuing on her intended path, Lily emerged into a battlefield.

Lloyd was electrocuting a rather measly-looking Stone Warrior. Misako had a large bamboo stick sharpened and was standing in front of Wu. Another tried to run, and Lloyd simply stuck his hand out and froze it. He smiled, before doing a double take upon seeing Lily. "You were supposed to stay with Dr. Julien!"

"I'm sorry, I wanted to see you fight! I hopped I could learn something."

"You can learn," Misako said, throwing the bamboo aside. "To stay out of danger. That was reckless. What if you were hurt in an accident?"

"I just-"

"It doesn't matter right now." Wu stood up. "Our presence on the Island is going to be discovered soon, if it already hasn't been. We must tread lighter."

"Let's just hope the others found the Temple already." Lloyd murmured.

"Knowing them, they already have." Wu reassured Lloyd. He also gave Lily a small smack on the back of her head. "I must let you know I agree with them. That was very reckless."

"...Fine, you win." She grumbled. "I was stupid."

"Not stupid. Eager. Too eager." He side-eyed her. "We should learn to save it for when you are ready."

Lily trudged with them back to the Bounty. Dr. Julien hadn't even realized they were gone. He happily welcomed them back and made Emily hold him up while he put the finishing touches on Cole's vehicle.

"Wait...where's Nya? I haven't seen her all day."

"She said she has a surprise for Kai. She doesn't want to show us until it's ready."

At that moment Nya announced it was ready, and shoved a large red box right behind the driller.

"...A box?" Lily said, unimpressed.

"More than a box. You'll see." She winked. "Help me stuff this in the trunk, okay? Julien said it could take it."

"Did I?" He asked himself, rapping the metal with his knuckles. "Yeah, it'll take your 'surprise' and more. The more being 6 or so people, and maybe a dog." He slid off Lily'a shoulders so she could help Nya. As the two shoved it away, there was a lot of yelling.

"Who...?" Lily wondered aloud.

Four colored blobs came their way, growing larger. The Ninja arrived, huffing and sweaty. Zane was cradling what looked like a bird."Hey, they found the Falcon!" Julien exclaimed. "Oh goody!"

"Why were you running?" Lloyd asked.

"Prepare for battle. We've got company." Zane instructed them. He tossed off his hood. "Anybody got a patch-kit? Jay was nicked pretty bad."

The Blue Ninja had a rather nasty cut on the side of his head, bleeding down. He smiled sheepishly. Nya was there, with a cloth and a needle. "Shoot...looks deep."

"Nya, I'm fiiNAAAHAGHAANE~" He screeched as she put the medicine covered cloth to his wound. She quietly apologized as he shrieked some more.

"You were spotted? By one? Two?" Wu asked Kai.

"How about...all of them?" He responded, staring at the sand.

"You're ninja, you're literally trained to...oh never mind. Did you locate the Temple of Light?"

"It's at the top of the mountain. I hope those vehicles are ready because we could sure use them now."

Oh. Uh. It was happening. They were going to the Temple _now_ and getting powers to defeat the Stone Army.

Julien tapped the side of the driller. "Guess you're gonna have to figure this baby out on the fly." He smiled, proud of his work. He opened the vehicle's window and gave the driver's seat to Cole, who ecstatically looked around the cockpit. He did have happy feet. Kai and Zane followed suite, looked at the black and orange color scheme in awe. Lily was rather proud of her paint job.

She wasn't sure she'd be of use for anything else. In fact, she didn't want to go with them at all.

"We've also packed another surprise in the back. I hope it'll help." Nya told Jay, before kissing him gently on the lips. He giggled something unintelligible in return, then hopped in. His cut was stitched up and no longer gushing.

"You'll have to go too. Be safe." Misako hugged Lloyd.

"We will." He got in. Lily just smiled at them. They simply stared at her.

"...What?" She asked.

"Aren't you going to get in?"

"Me? I...no, I can't."

"But we can't get our powers if you aren't there with us." Jay said.

"The scrolls never said that." Lily argued. "They just said I could get a boost too. I'm not sure I want it."

"Lily, your best chance to fight the enemy is if you go to the Temple with us." Zane explained.

"But I'm useless in battle." She glanced at Lloyd. "And...what if I'm not as deserving of my powers as you guys think?"

"I think you're more deserving of it than anyone else. Come on, we'll protect you." Kai reached out a calloused hand for her. Lily was still hesitant. She looked at Wu.

"Before, you arrived with no direction, no plan, no help, and completely unannounced. This time, however, you have your team beside you. You will be fine." He said, smiling under his white beard. "Go on."

She had one last glance at the people staying behind, before she took Kai's hand and climbed in. Her clothes were covered in oil and smelled like gasoline, but her presence seemed to be wanted. She took a deep breath. "I'm not ready."

"That's okay. None of us are." Jay said. "Now let's go get some powers, and kick some Stone Army butt!"

"Yeah!" The team pumped their fists in usion. Cole started up the driller, the windows slowly closing over them. They set off, the sun slowly setting. Lily was terrified. But the excited faces of the ninja and the knowledge that this would give them a better chance of defeating the enemy gave her a spark of hope.

_Hey, God, if You're listening...please don't let this be a big mistake._


	11. Cosmos

Lily wasn't sure what to expect. They couldn't exactly get out and try and fight, so they stayed in the drill.

What ensued was a ridiculous car chase, complete with launching themselves high over a rock and then a nosedive into the ground, drilling into the sand and dirt. As they veered away from the Stone Warriors chasing them using a sonar map, the drive slowed, and finally stayed at one angle.

Lily...promptly threw up on the mats.

"Ack! Ew!" Jay shreiked.

"Sorry..." Lily murmured, before another dry heave escaped her mouth. Zane, sitting next to her, offered her a comforting pat.

The drill hit something hard, and everyone hit the back of their seats hard. Cole backed up, drove upwards, and sunlight bore through the clouds. He opened the windows. "Guess that's as far as she'll go."

Lily stumbled out and slumped onto the ground, feeling sick and dizzy. "Please. Never do that again." She mumbled. They were at the foot of a large mountain, a golden glint in her peripheral vision.

Kai, meanwhile, had pulled out the big red chest and wad fiddling with it. He pressed a button, making it shake. Kai jumped back, and the box slowly unfurled into a small but sturdy mech suit. How in the world Nya made that in such little time, Lily would never know. Honestly, she felt too sick to care anyway.

"How are we going to climb the mountain?" Jay muttered to himself.

"Don't ask me..." Lily groaned.

A small battalion of Warriors were advancing, prompting Kai to stop gushing over the mech and get inside. He rushed off to hold them so the team could formulate a plan. Lily shakily stood up, still seeing some stars. She had no idea what Kai was doing, but the crushing of metal and gentle shaking of the Earth didn't leave much to her imagination. She sat back down.

"Cole, you carried me up a mountain before. Perhaps you can try again?" Zane asked the Black Ninja.

"Yeah, but that was just you. I can't carry all of you at once. And if I try and carry you guys one at a time, I'm gonna end up on the ground useless like Lily over there." He jabbed a thumb at her, before realizing what he said. "Oh, I'm sorry, it just slipped..."

"No no, you're right." She agreed with him, sitting up.

"There's too many of them!" Kai screamed, running back. He held his giant, golden hands out to the group. "Climb on, we'll use my mech." Lily scrambled to the top, which resembled two swords jutting from their sheaths, holding on for dear life. Kai did his best not to shake her around, but the Stone Army forced him to go rather quickly. Maybe it was a good thing Lily missed lunch.

The Stone vehicles starting speeding up the narrow mountain path, just behind Kai. The others screamed for him to go faster. One warrior grabbed onto the foot of the mech suit, but Cole just kicked it off. The poor guy fell into the fog below. "One of these days we're gonna have to actually fight!" Cole complained.

Up ahead the path got steeper and steeper, making Kai's climb slowly by the yard. "Activate hook!" He yelled to the mech, and it stopped, holding out a hand so the hook could fly out and grab the cliff at the top, where the light was brightest. This cost them a few precious seconds, but in no time they were zipping away through the air before landing rather ungracefully on the cliff.

The Stone Warriors had no way of getting up that high unless they wanted to fall, and they stopped far below, glaring at them. Several got out of the vehicles and began to climb themselves.

"At least we bought some time. Now where..." Lloyd turned around and gasped. "Look!"

The team turned in unison. Up above, just a few rock hops away, was the glow of something almost holy and spectacular. They quickly scaled the rock (Lily holding onto Cole as he climbed), before a small pathway lined with stone lanterns opened up before them.

"Pretty..." Jay murmured. There were several flowers, all arranged to lead to the glow. They continued up the path, feeling safe and peaceful for once on the Island. Kai had to make the mech crawl, which forced him into an uncomfortable position in the seat, but it was worth not damaging the path. If this didn't lead to the Temple, then it should lead to Heaven.

"Patience in adversity...magnificence...resolved to win..." Lily said to herself as they passed Chamomile, Strelitzia, and Purple Columbine flowers respectively.

"What?" Jay asked her.

"The language of flowers. I was just reading them." She explained. "Look!" Pointing to a clematis, she translated it's meaning. "'Mental beauty'. I do this as a hobby, you know."

"Oh, cool."

A set of wooden gate greeted them at the end. Lloyd hesitantly pushed them open, before going silent.

Right in front of the ninja was a large building, colored white and gold with red, blue, black, green, white, and purple gems scattered across it. Columns of pure gold held it up. It seemed there was 30 different kinds of wood used to make it. It had a silver door with a maroon dragon painted on it.

"The Temple of Light." Lloyd said. "It's beautiful."

"Fascinating." Zane stated.

"Pleasing." Jay followed.

"Magnificent." Cole responded.

"Amazing." Kai replied.

"Radiant." Lily finished.

The doors seemed inviting. Lloyd walked up and carefully opened them. Inside was a rather dusty foyer, but it still radiated power. Greeting the team was a tapestry sewn onto paper dividers. Jay pointed to one. "Hey, that's the Tornado of Creation!" He pointed to another. "And that's us finding the Bounty...wait a minute."

"It's everything we've ever done." Cole realized. "Facing the devourer, going back in time..."

"What?" Lloyd asked.

"Nothing, we'll explain some other time." Kai quickly told him. He seemed stressed.

"It's even us right now!" Cole was pointing to the end of the tapestry. There was a picture of the group, everyone almost exactly mirrored. Even the drawing of Cole was pointing the same way. Lily noticed she was there too.

"Well what do you know. It seems you were meant to be here after all." Zane said with a smile in his eyes. Lily sheepishly looked away.

"Destiny." Lloyd mumbled. Right below the painting Cole was pointing at, there was another with a strange symbol, all the Ninja spread out in it. Lloyd was in the middle, Lily right above him. there were lines stretching from Lily to the Ninja, and then back to Lloyd. "I think I know what we need to do."

Going around the tapestry, the main room revealed a flooring exactly like the symbol in the painting. He instructed Cole to stand in one place, Kai in another, as described in the picture. Their footsteps cleared away the dust, revealing their individual symbols they used on their uniforms. Pillars of their Gi colors also stood behind them. Each Ninja stood on the symbol.

There were two more spots in the middle of the room. One was that of an ouroboros, or a snake biting it's tail to form a circle. The other was of a mouse with lavender eyes and a wispy aura.

"I think that one's yours." Jay said, standing in front of the blue pillar.

Lily stared at it hesitantly, not bothering to step in it. She sighed. "I don't know about this."

"Come on, we're so close. You can do it." Kai assured her. She took a deep breath, and stood at her spot.

Nothing happened.

Lloyd poked at the snake with a foot, and looked around. "Okay...now what?" Everyone shrugged. There wasn't really anything the tapestry said about this part.

Zane snapped his fingers. "Wait, remember what Misako said? The Green Ninja must strike the instrument of peace."

"Right. But where-oh." Lloyd looked up, and a large titanium bell sat above them. It was littered with dust and if it was another type of metal, it would surely be rusting. "The bell! It's an instrument!"

There was shouting outside. Cole groaned. "Why does everything have to be so hard? Quick Lloyd! Kick it, or something!"

"You guys ready for this?" He asked. Each ninja nodded. Lily just gave a hesitant thumbs up. Lloyd kneeled down, then leapt into the air, doing a backflip and striking the bell. The sound was powerful, flowing not only through their ears but their very bodies. Lily had the urge to cover her ears.

There was silence, the sound fading away. Then the bell began to brighten.

"How...?" Kai said to himself in awe. The bell continued to glow brighter and brighter, before it finally streamed down right onto Lily.

"What? What's happening?" Lily shrieked. "I'm not the destined one! Shouldn't this be singing on you Lloy-" She suddenly screamed. Her skin grew red with the heat.

"Stop fighting it!" Kai yelled.

"I DON'T WANT THIS POWER! I DON'T DESERVE IT! I DON'T NEED IT!" Her face began to hurt.

"Lily, you must let go of your fears and let it flow! That is the only way!" Zane told her.

"No!" She sobbed. "I can't!"

_Her father slapped her across the face. "Why you? Why? Your brother was the only chance our family had for a good future! And you selfishly threw it all away! his life away! You are a murderer!"_

_"I didn't mean to! I tried to sa-"_

_She was interrupted with another slap._

_"You. Are. Not. Your. Brother. You can't do the things he could! He was smart and handsome and he was going to bring such good fortune! Now all we have is you. Disgraceful!"_

_"Just let me try, please...God will-"_

_"No! There's no point! You're a simple woman!" He screamed. "The world does not bow to you! You are incapable!"_

He was right. She couldn't do anything. She was incapable of doing anything. And now her brother was dead. That was surely, most surely her fault. She couldn't get him out of the burning building fast enough, and now he was gone. Absolutely nothing useful would ever be accomplished with her hands-only destruction and worthlessness. There was nothing she was good for.

No.

_No._

She was capable. Look at what she had done. She'd sailed across the sea. She'd fought evil starfish during a storm. She helped build a drill. She had powers that could make her heal a broken bone. She wasn't incapable. She was deserving of this. She wanted this. Why else would God let her meet the Ninja? She finally understood. Her house was destroyed so she could have a chance at doing something other than mindlessly living in subservient silence.

"I...can do this." She whispered to herself.

The light stopped hurting. She let it flow. And then it exploded, hitting crystals and gemstone scattered across the room, until there were four beams of light. One for each Ninja.

She felt her clothes slowly disintegrating and in place of them, a kimono-like Gi appeared on her body. It was fitted to her exact measurements, and she felt so powerful with it. It was mostly black, with silver clasps on her lower torso and thighs. Her sleeves, hood, _obi_ , and collar were lavender. She felt something heavy in her hand, and brought it up to examine the object.

It was the hilt of a sword, in the shape of a dragon. She activated it, and a long crystal shot out from the mouth. The blade was a light purple fading into pink. She looked up, and saw everyone else had received similar outfits and weapons-Lloyd was still standing under the bell, seemingly in a trance. His body suddenly started to rise as he stretched out his arms, and slowly spun.

Lily's blade began to shake with energy. "Guys! Use your blades on him! It will send him our powers!" Kai told the others. They held their blades out, energy crackling through them, before bursting out and forming a sphere around Lloyd. Lily stuck hers out and held the hilt tight. She had no idea how to send out the power.

Maybe if she thought really hard.

_Lloyd needs our power to gain his. What good am I if I can't do that? I must. I have to. I will! I AM! I'm doing it! I'M HELPING HIM! I'M CAPABLE!_

_...Please. I want this._

And with those thoughts, and an aura of energy shot out, completely encasing Lloyd in the sphere of elements. Then she heard a roar, and something large with wings and teeth seemed to burst from the sphere. Lloyd dropped to the floor, the swords no longer glowing, the room no longer encased in a bright light. In fact, it seemed different. Everything seemed different. It was like the world had folded over and was reborn in an instant. Lily looked at all the Ninja as though she had never seen them before.


	12. Crocus

They say eyes are the window to the soul. And thing Lily focused on...was their eyes. Even as the Stone Army ascended the cliff and continued to advance toward them, she could only see their eyes.

Kai's were a deep hazel, blue and brown mixing like a lit match.

Jay's were blue, electric like the sky and bluebirds mixed.

Zane's were blue as well, but they seemed a lighter neon, practically inhuman.

Cole had green eyes, dark green eyes resembling cave moss.

Lloyd also had green eyes, a stark emerald with little golden flecks in each.

All of them had the same expression-absolute determination.

"LET 'EM HAVE IT!" Lloyd yelled. And they charged into the mass of Stone. Lily stood there, holding her sword, before hefting it on one shoulder and screaming. She had no idea how to use one, let alone defend herself with it, but she had her friends with her. She lifted it up and it clanged against the sword of a mook. It sneered at her.

She grunted, pushing harder with the sword. It began to glow, wiping with the aura again, before it sliced through it's sword. But she wasn't done there. She forced it through the warrior, cracking through his form. It made a perfect cut, his torso now cut diagonally in two like a sculpture. He fell to the floor, dead. The other ones stared, stunned. She raised it up. "Who's next?!"

One ran to her with a crossbow. He shot it several times, and each one struck her in the chest. She gasped.

Cole saw her. "LILY!"

"You...should..." She grabbed one arrow with her fist, and began to pull. "Really...work...on..." She yanked it out, blood on it's tip. She ran up to the archer. "YOUR AIM!" Slamming the arrow in his forehead, she pushed it deeper, feeling her arm harden like steel. His head cracked in two, and he joined his fallen comrade on the floor in pieces.

"W-WHAT?!" Cole yelled in response.

It really hurt, but she didn't care. The sword pulsated with her energy. She was dripping blood from her mouth, but she was alive, and that's what mattered. Pulling the other arrows out, she threw them at the retreating warriors with such force it went straight through each of them. She felt her wounds close up.

"BEHIND YOU!" Jay warned her.

Lily whirled around and swiped at the warrior with her sword, missing. It dug it's own spear deep into her shoulder, making her cry with pain. In retaliation, she punched him with her fist, an uppercut to the chin. His entire body slowly cracked and gave way, now nothing more than a pile of rubble. The spear was still stuck in her shoulder, though.

"Hang on!" Cole ran up to her and yanked it out.

She screamed like a banshee. "NO WARNING?!" Lily retorted, and Cole tossed the spear away.

"Sorry. But your wound!"

It was healing faster than normal, purple light surrounding it. Blood still stained her clothing, but she was still alive. Still capable. She nodded. "Right. My powers!"

Lloyd stood in front of them, a fresh batch of Warriors having arrived. He put his hands together. " _My_ turn." An orb of green, gold, and white grew in his hands. It made this sparkling sound, and Lloyd's eyes burned green. He grunted, then threw it at the army. but instead of an orb, it became an apparition of a DRAGON.

The unfortunate warriors caught in it's wisp were reduced to statues. The others screamed for a retreat, and they ran to the cliff, climbing in their vehicles. The dragon continued to chase them until it faded away into the air. Lloyd sat down, heaving. "I think that did the trick."

"Did you see that?" Jay swung his sword around. "Lloyd just summoned a dragon! In fact, let me compliment us all. We were like _pow_ , then _wham_!"

"I was able to freeze them hard enough they broke upon touch!" Zane said, excitedly.

"I melted all their weapons into useless blobs!" Kai nodded with him, staring at his sword as if it were the Holy Grail.

"And, and-" Cole put an arm around Lily's shoulder, "Lily here destroyed several with a few arrows and her own fist! And she took their hits like it was nothing!" Lily smiled and blushed, Cole rubbing her head. "That. Was. Amazing!"

"I saw her pull the arrows out of her chest." Lloyd said. "How are you alive?"

"H-healing powers?" Lily was getting embarrassed.

"But you barely reacted! It was like they didn't even touch you!"

"You sliced one apart using your own sword!"

"And you threw the arrows right back at them-"

"While TANKING A SPEAR!"

Lily heard all their compliments, each Ninja getting up and giving her a pat on her healed shoulder. She felt her face grow hotter, and her eyes wet. Finally, she dropped her sword and began to cry.

Kai stepped foreward. "Wait, are you hurt? Lily?"

"You-just-nnghh..." She sobbed, putting her hands to her cheeks. "It's j-just..." Wiping her eyes, she picked up her sword. "Nobody has ever said things like that before."

"Probably because nobody has ever done it before." Zane stated.

"N-no, I m-mean-hah-nobody has said such n-nice things before. Ever."

She continued to cry, and the Ninja looked at each other, and slowly smiled, as if they all shared the same mental message. Kai scooped Lily up in a hug, and the others followed suit. Everyone dropped their swords and laughed, because they finally had a chance against the enemy. And Lily finally felt like one of them.

"Enough about me." She said, glancing at the Chosen One. "Lloyd summoned a DRAGON!"

\---

The next morning, Lily woke up in her bed. She yawned and stretched, smiling sleepily at the robes and sword that lay beside her futon.

Now she was rooming with Nya, and the girl proved to be a fun roommate. The night before, they had exchanged stories and talked until they couldn't move their tongues anymore. Nya was like the sister she never had.

"I'm capable..." She murmured her new mantra before getting up and brushing her hair. After combing out the knots, she put on a robe and went upstairs for breakfast. The others were already chattering at the table, rice and croquettes all splayed out. Lily sat down, prayed, and ate hungrily.

"You sure love to eat." Lloyd quipped at her.

She stared at him with a mouthful of rice, chewed, and swallowed. "Something you should know about me. I love food."

The croquettes were made with shrimp, eggs, and mushrooms. Made by Zane with love, they were juicy and crunchy at the same time. Ohhh, they were heaven. She looked over and noticed the boys were holding swimsuits. She tilted her head quizzically.

"Hey, after we eat, we're heading to the beach for some much needed relaxing. Wanna come?" Cole asked her.

Lily blushed. "Oh, I don't know..."

"It's okay, you can borrow my bikini." Nya said.

Jay spit out his drink. "You have a _what_?!" He asked her while leaning across the table.

Nya rolled her eyes. "What's the big deal? It's just swimwear." Cole and Zane looked at each other and snickered, while Kai was busy staring daggers at Jay's daydreaming face, Big Brother Protection Mode on high. Nya finished her rice, got up, and dragged a furiously blushing Lily from her chair. "Well, I'm done eating. And what the heck, I'll come too. Race you boys!"

"W-wait! I never had a say in this!" Lily squealed, trying to pull from her grip.

Kai was still staring at Jay, eyebrows furrowed together. "If you try ANYTHING with my baby sister...

"You'll set me on fire. Gotcha." Jay responded.

Zane and Cole broke out in laughter.

Meanwhile, Lily was still being kidnapped. She desperately wanted to use her powers to separate herself from Nya's iron grip, but she had no clue how strong she really was, and didn't want to hurt Nya. The Samurai pulled her into the room and handed Lily a set. "Here. I have another one, don't worry."

Lily stared at the outfit. It was white with gray polka dots. She sighed. "Do you have any...one pieces?"

"Sorry, no. I grew out of mine a while ago."

"Uh..." Lily looked at the bikini in disdain.

Nya closed the drawer, hugging a red set to her chest. "Hey, you okay?"

"Uh..." She repeated. "I'm...I..."

"Oh. you don't like to show off." Nya gave her a smile. "Hey, I think you're gonna look great. Try it on!"

Reluctantly, Lily went behind the changing dividers and put it on. It hugged her skin a little tightly, but otherwise seemed comfortable. She poked her head out. "I...um...you see, I have a scar..."

Nya shrugged. "So? You have lots of scars from your healing powers. And they're a pretty lavender color too."

"No. A _scar_ scar." Lily didn’t _dare_ walk out from the divider to show Nya. The remnants of the wound stretched out across her back to the middle of her thighs. Case in point, it was a large and rather nasty burn scar. "It was from a fire.” She said. “I’d rather not show it.”

"...Oh." Nya breathed. "I...still think you look beautiful either way."

"It isn't that!" Lily sighed. "Listen, what I'm about to tell you, don't tell a single soul. Alright? Please?" She steppes out from behind the divider, just an inch, and wrapped her arms around herself; trying to hide what she could of the scar.

Nya smiled. "I promise."

"When I was little, my brother and I got caught in a fire at school. Something in the chem lab exploded. He and I were running through the falls, trying to outrun this wall of fire. The doors were jammed, so my brother managed to open a vent covering so we could climb through. I went first. I tried to help him in, but he was heavier than me and I was tired..."

_"Lily!" Her brother screamed. "We're not gonna make it!" The flames were too close._

_"No!" She yelled, leaning forward and grabbing his hand, causing her body to start sliding out of the entrance. "We'll get out of here!"_

_"I never said we_ both _couldn't make it." He murmured, the flames roaring closer. "I am so sorry."_

_Lily turned, confused. "Wha-"_

_He used both hands to push her back into the hole, causing him to slip from the lockers they had climbed up on. Lily screamed, trying to watch him, but the flames were too close and too hot. She turned away from the entrance, cowering in a ball as the fire lapped at her back. She trudged through the vents before the firefighters found her banging on a vent covering facing just outside the school's entrance._

"He...didn't make it. I don't really like telling people about this."

Nya was quiet. Lily was close to crying.

"I'm so sorry...hey, if you want a shirt or something to wear over it..."

"If you can, sure. And thank you."

The two dressed themselves and went out to relax in the waves. Upon arriving, the boys were engaged in some sort of game involving coconuts and their blades. Zane and Lloyd were the only ones wearing regular clothes.

The others...well, now...

Lily found her heart beating faster the closer she got to them. They were very, very well built you could say. Kai was clearly in great shape due to his old work as a blacksmith, and Cole was absolutely ripped. Jay was wearing a surf suit, but the way it hugged his body gave her a good idea of how much muscle the Lightning Ninja had.

(To be honest, it wasn't just the boys. Nya had a good amount of muscle too, especially on her biceps.)

Lloyd was also with the group, wearing sunglasses and a small fedora. He kicked the coconut in the air and it landed in front of Cole. He groaned. "I was this close, dang it!" He glanced at the two girls, then did a double take. "Oh, look who decided to join the party!"

_HE WAS SO RIPPED OH MY GOSH._

Lily looked down at her rather flabby legs and sighed. Her lavender scars were slowly fading into a pale white, like her skin. She really hoped she could still compete with this athletically inclined team.

Wait, what was she talking about? She single-handedly (no pun intended) punched a Stone Warrior into pebbles. She could take them.

Although she was met with inviting smiles, Lily still felt flustered. She was in a bathing suit around them, and they were in bathing suits around her, and she couldn't take it anymore. The poor girl sprinted the other way and leapt into the ocean. Her face felt hot enough to boil the seawater. Swimming downwards, she planted herself on the seafloor.

She held her breath for as long as she could, sitting under the waves with her eyes open. The current provided a gentle, swaying motion. There was little to no sound. Kelp and crabs scuttled over her feet. A little catfish swam by her, and she smiled. This was calming. She closed her eyes, wondering how long she could keep this up.

Then a pair of arms grabbed her under the armpits, lifting poor Lily out of the water. She screeched, kicking and splashing. Nya was the culprit, laughing. "Found ya!"

"Th-the heck?!"

Four more shapes jumped into the water next to her, revealing the boys. Kai's hair was absolutely soggy and wet, but he didn't seem to mind. He swam over and went under. Nya suddenly let go of Lily as she was sucked below. The siblings appeared above water a few feet away, Kai holding onto Nya's leg. They playfully bickered and threw water at each other.

"This is great!" Jay said. "I feel so refreshed!" He shook his head like a dog, spraying Lily in the face. She couldn't see much else other than their necks and heads, so the flustered feeling from before went away.

"Don't tell me you thought we were so hot you had to go cool yourself off?" Cole chuckled.

Lily shrugged. "I've never seen anyone so...uh, equipped. Sorry about my reaction."

Jay smirked, trying to hold back laughter. Cole grinned. "'Fraid this bod comes with the package, _mon amie_." He raised an arm and flexed it. Zane jokingly punched him.

"Say, how about we play a game to release the tension?" Zane offered. "Have you ever played Marco Polo?"

"...Not really...?"

"Okay. So one of us closes our eyes and tries to find the others without looking. When the searcher says 'marco', everyone must respond with 'polo', until they are touched by the searcher. Whoever the searcher touches first must take their place for the next round. The round ends when everyone is found."

"I think I get it."

"I'll go first!" Jay announced, shutting his blue eyes. "MARCO!"

Everyone swam backwards. "Polo!"

"MARCO!"

"Polo!"

"MARCO!"

"Polo!"

"MAR-Aha, I touched someone!" Jay opened his eyes.

There was a small octopus in his hand.

He squealed and accidentally tossed it up, the poor creature making a little splash coming back down. Jay moaned. "I didn't hurt it, did I?"

"I think it's gonna be fine." Cole put an arm on his shoulder.

Lily smiled and shook her head, before being pummeled by the still-fighting siblings.


	13. Pomegranate

The next game involved launching coconuts into the air and destroying them using the sword. Lily hoped she could learn more about how to use hers by doing this.

Kai went first. "Order up! Coconut cream pie, served _hot_ and fresh!"

Using her sword as a baseball bat, Lily punted the coconut into the air. With her added power it sailed high in the sky, giving Kai good range. He fired, well, a fireball at it, making the fruit explode in a fury of ashes and boiling coconut water.

Zane sighed. "It's so good to have our powers back."

"Yup, you're right. And since we've all been working on our witty quips to follow every cool thing we do, I'd say we got this final battle in the bag. Or should I say…" Glancing at Cole, the Earth Ninja gave him a nod and launched another one into the air using a palm tree. "I'd be _shocked_ if we lose!!" He let loose a bolt of lightning, frying the coconut.

Lily clapped politely.

"Enough!" A shrill voice called from the sandy hill next to them. It was Wu, looking rather irritated. "Do you want to reveal out secret location?!"

"Sorry, Sensei." All four Ninja said in usion. Lily looked at them for a moment before dropping her own blade and apologizing. Wu nodded and left.

"Close one." Jay muttered.

Zane twirled his blade in his hand before casting the ocean water with it. A tiny floating iceberg was created. "Well, what do you know? It can easily freeze salt water as well." He admired the hilt of the sword, the white gem gleaming in the sunlight.

"Zane..." Cole whispered.

He looked up. "What?"

All of the Ninja looked at him. "Witty quip?" Jay reminded him.

"Oh, right!" Zane thought for a moment, furrowing his brows together. "Uh, that was _cool_! R-right?"

Kai and Jay facepalmed. Cole gave him a pat on the back. "Don't worry, we'll work on it buddy." Zane rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

It astounded Lily that combined with the sun, the appearance of her friends, and her own pale skin that she hadn't gotten a sunburn yet. Maybe it was her powers. Now that was a nice touch.

She picked up another coconut and launched it. "Uh, uh, uh, behold the element of surprise!" She shot an aura of energy at the coconut, and it was sliced in half. It dropped into the ocean with an unimpressive splash.

"...You tried." Jay raised a shoulder at her, nodding.

Something else, a dark brown in color, suddenly flew over the team. Cole readied his sword. "Eat dirt, scumbag!" He launched a dust-covered boulder at it, before Zane suddenly pushed him aside and fired an icicle, gasping in fear. They collided, and the flying thing was unharmed. In fact, the "flying thing" was a falcon.

"That is not a coconut!" Zane elbowed Cole as the bird flew down to perch on his arm. "Hello friend. It's good to see you again."

"I am so sorry." Cole put his sword away quickly. "Nice reflexes, though."

"Oh! Why thank you."

Lily walked up to examine the bird carefully. "Zane, is this your robot falcon?"

He nodded. "Would you like to pet him? He is very soft."

Lily smiled and ran a hand gently over his head. The falcon seemed to enjoy the touch, dipping down a little bit and fluffing it's wings, cooing. "How did you meet him?"

"We found each other one night. And he always led us to an important location." Zane nuzzled the falcon with his cheek. "Isn't that right?"

The falcon flapped it's wings and crowed in response. It then flew over to Cole's shoulder, pecked him on the head, and kept up to fly in circles around the beach. Cole held his head in pain, while Zane and the others laughed. "Yeah, I deserved that..." Cole mumbled.

Lloyd had left a few minutes ago to go talk with Wu about something. A little worried, the team decided to end their beach time and go check up on him, only to overhear them talking.

"...There is no other choice." Nya was saying.

"But perhaps there is. I used to think it was inevitable, but the I found this." Misako was laying out a scroll onto the table.

"You mean Lloyd doesn't have to fight? This I gotta hear." Cole said, sliding down the hill. The others followed suit. Lily didn't trust sliding without planting her face into the sand, so she just walked down like a normal person.

"The scrolls say that when the Helmet of Darkness is bequeathed to its rightful ruler, the Celestial Clock will count down to the activation of an unspeakable weapon." Misako said. "The first sign that the Final Battle between good and evil has begun."

"Did you just say "unspeakable weapon"?" Kai asked. "Shoot."

Jay was blinking in confusion. "Uh, yeah. I'm still stuck on what "bequeathed" means."

"Misako. How do we stop the Final Battle?"

"There is nothing here that explains what would happen if the Helmet of Darkness is returned. But since the clock begins once you remove the Helmet..." She put a finger to her lips. "Perhaps if we put it back, the clock stops."

"And the Final Battle never starts!" Lloyd said with a smile.

"No really, what does bequeathed mean?" Jay asked. "Can somebody help-"

"Wait, how would we get the Hemet anyway? It's not like we can just waltz in while he's sleeping and pluck it off his head." Kai mimed doing just that.

"Heck, who knows if he even does? They say "evil never sleeps"!" Cole followed.

"I know." Misako said, and Lily wasn't sure if she was agreeing with Kai, Cole, or both of them. "And that is why I am going to do it.

Lloyd snapped his head up and stared at his mother. "What?"

"I'll just need a little help." She reassured them, and beckoned the Ninja to her side. "In order to get past their guards, we need to first get control..."

"I'm sorry, Lloyd." Wu put a hand on his shoulder before he could join them. "This mission isn't for you."

"But I'm all powered up, I can help. And this is my mother we're talking about!" He said. "You're letting Lily go, and she's still in-training!"

Wu gave him a stern look. "She will not be going either. She is going to stay and help protect you."

"Protect Lloyd?" Lily laughed. "Forgive me, but isn't he the destined one with all the power? I can barely protect myself!"

"You did destroy those Warriors yesterday." Lloyd shrugged.

"I was running on pure adrenaline!"

"Enough, both of you." Wu put his staff between them before anything escalated. "Lloyd, we are trying to prevent the Final Battle, not welcome it. I think you could be of great use even not on the battlefield, but instead helping Lily train."

"Me?"

"Did your newfound power take away your hearing as well?" Wu quipped. "You need to learn to master and control this Golden Power, and I see no better way to do that than help Lily with hers. And if we are found out, you will be protecting each other. That is what the Prophecy states."

" _Nante kotoda_!" Lloyd said. "I am so done with these stupid prophecies! Can't I be in control of my own destiny for once?"

"Yes. By not fighting your father, and therefore not starting the Final Battle as told."

Lloyd struggled to retort something, but cursed in Japanese and went inside the Bounty.

Lily looked at her hands. "Are we in control of our destinies?"

Wu was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure anymore." He muttered.

The Violet Ninja went inside. She couldn't imagine all the pressure Lloyd had on him. Having to live with the fact he had to fight his father, and now to not even being able to look at him in fear of starting something horrible. She looked around the cabins, poking her head in the Ninja's room. "Lloyd? Hey, Lloyd?"

"...What is it?" He asked.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Oh yeah. Peachy." He grumbled. "Not being able to help my friends, my family. I have so much power, and I can't even use it. I feel so, so-"

"Incapable?" Lily finished for him. Lloyd turned and looked at her. "Would it surprise you that's almost the exact reason I didn't want my powers in the first place?"

"To be honest, no."

Lily sat down next to him. She didn't want to tell him everything about her past. Telling Nya today was hard enough for her. But she didn't know how else she could try and connect with him.

"Listen." Lily folded her hands together. "When I was young, I...lost somebody, a friend I cared about very much. Because of that, I felt that I couldn't do anything that would be useful to anyone. I lived in that stupid apartment complex for a long time, thinking if I just live out my days quietly, I would be doing all that I could. But obviously, I could do so much more."

"Wait, _are_ you trying to make me feel better? Because it is not working."

"No Lloyd. I'm telling you that you aren't alone." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I have daddy issues too."

Lloyd faced Lily, his emerald green eyes watery. "I..."

"We'll be kicking butt together." Lily said with a grin. Lloyd was quiet, then a laugh escaped his throat. He wiped his eyes and sniffed. He had a small smile on his lips.

_HELP!_

Lily stiffened.

_We're going to die, or get hurt horribly._

_Lloyd better be safe!_

_Help us, somebody!_

_Lloyd better stay away from this!_

Lily stood up. "Lloyd, the Ninja!"

"What about them?" Lloyd stood up with her, concerned.

"I heard them in my head. Or, at least I heard Kai and Zane. They're in trouble. They need us!" She rushed to Nya's room to put on her Elemental Kimono. Kicking the door open, she gripped her sword and ran for the stairs, Lloyd next to her in his robes.

"How do you know?"

"I have no clue! My best guess is it's something to do with my powers!" They got outside, and noticed the driller was gone. And so was Nya.

"Great, so we just go in the hole and follow?" Lloyd grunted. "We'll be too late!"

"Wait, maybe..." Lily activated her sword, and closed her eyes. It radiated with energy. _Where are you guys? Where is Kai and Zane? Where are they?!_

In that moment, there were little flickers of red and white behind her eyes. She could feel where they were. She grabbed Lloyd's hand. "Come on!" They sprinted through the dense jungle passing birds, spiders, and snakes. She ignored a branch hitting her in the leg. "We're getting closer!"

"How do you know?!"

"I just do!"

They broke into a clearing, where a large hole laid out before them. In standing in front of the hole was a giant Samurai thing, dangling the driller. Kai, Zane, Nya, Cole, Jay, and Misako were inside. Lloyd made a fist. "LET THEM GO!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, and blasted a hole in the chest of the giant samurai. It fell, dropping the driller. Although it was a hard fall, nobody seemed too hurt by it.

Nya spotted Lloyd. "CAREFUL! Garmadon is here!"

Lily activated her sword and stood in front of Lloyd. She pointed it in the direction of the samurai. It was a mech. He must have been piloting it somehow. She was right, as it began to spark and smoke, a figure crawled from it's crevices. It had four arms, messy hair, and red eyes.

It was Garmadon. He was weak, and angry.

Lloyd tried to get past Lily, but she forced him back. "The battle is not happening here!" She told him.

"You can't fight him! He'll crush you!"

Lily took a deep breath. "I know. But I'll survive."

"I won't let you."

She knew she was going to regret this, but she didn't have time. "Lloyd, I'm sorry." She slapped him in the face, making him turn and fall to a knee. Praying she didn't hurt him horribly, Lily charged with her sword raised. Before she could slice Garmadon apart, he raised a hand and caught the sword by the edge. She struggled to bring it down on him, but it was no use. Unless she let go, which she wasn't going to anytime soon, Lily was not going to making any progress.

Garmadon stared down at her. "Who are you?"

"As if I'll tell you that."

His red eyes narrowed. "A ninja...you have the blade and everything. There were only five of you. When did they receive a sixth?"

"I'm not letting you fight Lloyd!"

"Does it look like I want to fight him?" Garmadon said calmly, clutching his stomach. It was bleeding. "He is my son. All I want is to turn ninjago into my own image. Then we could all be together, a family once more."

"Twisted."

"Maybe, but it's all I know." He sighed. "You're so young, like the rest of them. I'd hate to kill somebody so new to this world of fighting, but...you did attack me first."

"What-"

He let go of her sword and swept his feet under her legs, knocking her over. Standing above her, he yelled a war cry and slammed a foot on her chest. She gasped, blood leaking from her throat. Her hand was still holing onto her sword tight, so he put another foot on her wrist.

Taking a piece of metal that fell from the mechanical samurai, he raised it over her heart. "Forgive me."

"NO!"

A ball of light hit him in the chest. He dropped the shard and screamed, his chest wound opening to reveal a gruesome injury. Lloyd grabbed Lily and swung her over his back, running to the Earth Driller. As purple light began to envelop her body, she caught sight of Garmadon watching her, and he was rather confused. Then his face went calm, and he smiled.

"We need to move! The clock is not far from here!" Misako told Nya once Lloyd and Lily got in.

"Oh my gosh!" Jay yelled upon seeing the damage. "Lily! LILY! Say something!"

"SHUTUPEVERYTHINGHURTS!"

"Whew, she's gonna be okay." He sighed in relief. Her wrist cracked back into position, the sword still clutched tight in her hand, and he grimaced. "Oh that part is always so gross to watch."

"Did you get the Helmet?" Lloyd asked Misako. She nodded, holding up the Helmet of Darkness.

The last of her broken ribs glued back together, and she could breathe normally again. Her chest still hurt from other internal injuries still being fixed, but Lily was alive. She looked at Lloyd. "Hey. I...survived."

He glared at her in irritation. His cheek was still red from her slap. 

"I don't care if it delayed the Battle, NEVER DO THAT AGAIN LILY!" Cole yelled from his seat.

"No...promises." She said weakly. "Oh geez I think he punctured my lung."

"STEP ON IT!"

There was an army behind them growing closer. Lily agreed that what she did was unbelievably and undoubtedly the most stupid thing she had ever done in her life. But she had more things to worry about at the moment.

"Zane, Kai, I don't know how to explain this, but-ow, I heard you calling out for help."

"What?" They said at the same time.

"That's how we found you, actually." Lloyd said. "I still can't believe she was right." Lily winced from her puncture closing up, and Misako took her gloved hand and squeezed. 

That's when she realized why she had heard Kai and Zane, _specifically_ Kai and Zane. It was because she had touched their hands, and been in their memories.

And it seemed she had some sort of a psychic link to them now.


	14. Pink Verbena

Wu was already waiting at the Celestial Clock.

By the time the Earth Driller broke through the surface next to the machine, Lily had healed completely. Everyone got out of the car quickly, Misako still holding the Helmet. Nya marveled at the clock, rings of metal and what looked like a solar system orbiting the hands slowly ticking down. "It's a mechanical masterpiece." She breathed.

"You're welcome to dismantle it once it's stopped." Misako promised. Nya looked like she as about to explode from happiness.

"She took a glance at the clock's hands, and her grip tightened around the Helmet. "Everyone! Look for the perch! It could be anywhere!" Misako climbed onto the clock, placing the Helmet in random places. "here? No. Here? It's not stopping!"

"Hand it to me, perhaps I found it!" Zane offered. She tossed it to him, but his location did not work. Jay tried too, but it still kept ticking. Wu was about to say something, when an arrow zipped by his beard, making it sway in the wind.

"There's 30 seconds left." A Stone Warrior said, stepping onto the cliff. He could speak English? Strange. None of the other Warriors had. _Maybe this guy was the head honcho or something,_ Lily thought. "I believe," He continued. "It's time to die-"

One of the orbiting planets hit in in the head, making him drop the evil garb. It rolled and was knocked away to the top of the clock by one of the spinning rings. He roared in frustration.

Cole didn't need anyone to tell him-he went for a mountain climb across the towering machine, a Stone mook clambering to beat him. The helmet continued to roll and be bounced around by the clock, before landing next to what looked like...

THE PERCH.

"There's only 10 seconds left!" Wu yelled. Warriors went for it, but Jay and Zane kept them back. Misako grabbed for the Helmet and slammed it down onto the perch. It lowered down and glowed, indicating this was the correct place.

"YES!" Kai exclaimed.

The clock kept ticking.

"Why isn't it stopping?" Lloyd asked Wu. Even he didn't have an answer.

The clock suddenly began to shake, and this sound reverberated from it.

"No!" Misako slammed a fist onto the clock. "No! It's the Horns of Destruction!"

"What?!" Everyone turned to look at her, even the fighting Ninja and Warriors. The talking one began to laugh.

"...We're too late. It has begun."

Lloyd's eyes widened, and his hands began to spark. Misako ran to her son. Then the Helmet's perch pinged, released a light that reflected off several mirrors, firing into the distance.

During the confusion, one of the Warriors had gotten into their vehicle, and had readied its cannon to fire. And at this moment, it did. Lily brought out her sword, intended to slice through the shell, but missed by a mile. It hit the spot behind her, and she covered her ears. Everything rang, and she had a difficult time seeing. The ground shook, and cracked.

Everyone expect for Nya slid down the mountainside.

All Lily could see was dust, rocks, and the darkness of the sky. She screamed, every organ in her body feeling out of place. For 10 full seconds, she was in mid-air, then her body hit the ground. It was a soft, sandy beach. Sitting up, she shook her head, trying to rid that horrible sound from her ears. There was a lot of muffled talking. She couldn't understand it.

But she could feel what Kai and Zane were feeling. 

Kai was screaming for his sister, and he felt like a failure. Over and over he cried her name, and the Fire Ninja felt utterly...lost. He had done so much just to keep her alive, and now she was captured by dark forces while his student Lloyd was going to have to fight and possibly kill Garmadon.

For Zane, he was coming up with plan among plan among plan. None of them would ever work, and he slowly started to give into despair. Every time, he forced himself not to give up and kept thinking of a way to solve this. But everything hurt. On the inside and outside.

Perhaps if Lily hadn't been such an idiot, they would have found the Perch earlier.

She put her head in her hands and started to cry. This was the end. Now only Lloyd could do anything about it.

The first clear word she heard was from Wu. "Enough! We have lost enough. We don't need to lose our focus."

"Focus? FOCUS? Let's focus on getting my sister back!" Kai screamed in his face. "This is the second time she's been taken by Garmadon. I'm not letting it happen a third time!"

"By the time we get up there, they'll be gone. We will get your sister back, but we need to prepare first. We must find the Bounty, warn Dr. Julien, and get ready."

Lily let out a sickening sob. "Why us?"

"Come on, we have all been through a lot." Zane helped her up. "Let us go find the Bounty."

Lily buried her face in his shoulder. "I was such an idiot..."

They walked together along the shoreline, desperate to return home. Maybe the Ninja had dealt with these things before, but not Lily. She thought she was capable. Maybe she wasn't. Maybe her father was right.

No, no! She had to stay strong! For Ninjago! For her friends!

But she felt so tired...

As far as she was concerned, she practically sleepwalked the whole way there. There was a lot of arguing. Wu wanted everybody to rest, but Jay insisted they get ready to save Nya now. Kai, now calmer, held him back, knowing she'd be tough enough to hold out.

So Dr. Julien prepared a meal for them, and they ate in silence.

Lily didn't say a word. She felt like this was all her fault. In fact, she didn't feel like eating the udon sitting in front of her, even though it was her favorite kind of noodle.

"Come on, you should eat a bit. I don't remember us having lunch." Cole nudged her.

Lily stayed unresponsive.

"Lils? Hey, come on..." Cole shook her shoulders. "Guys-"

"She's just in shock, Cole. Give her some time." Wu explained.

Cole stared at his plate and put down his chopsticks, folding his hands in front of him and sighing. "This is all so stupid. This Final Battle and everything...stupid."

Kai swallowed some of his food. "I think we can all agree. Oh please let Nya be okay...please..."

Jay huffed. "I...I should have done something..."

"It's not your fault."

"But I'm her, you know!" He swirled a chopstick in the noodles. "I should be protecting her. I'm so...useless."

Lloyd broke his chopsticks with a single hand. "I'll be in my bed." He said quietly, and left. The dining room stayed quiet, expect for the sound of breathing.

"I can't believe I don't have an appetite." Cole murmured. "Should I save it for tomorrow since Lily won't eat hers?"

Jay smirked. "You're acting like she's your little sister."

"She kinda is. To me, at least."

"But you look nothing alike. Her skin is white as snow and yours looks like chocolate ice cream!"

"Great, now I'm hungry again."

Everyone at the table shared a small laugh.

"Hey, remember when we tried to do that one move, the Floating Butterfly?"

"Yeah, we all face planted into each other's feet!"

Lily let out a small laugh.

Cole looked over at her. "Hey, feeling alright? Wait, dumb question. No-shoot. I shouldn't have assumed-"

"'m fine." She said quietly.

"If you want, we can have a spar. Maybe that'll get you hungry."

"...Tomorrow." She practically whispered, and picked up her utensils to put a clump of noodles in her mouth. Kai shrugged, and everyone else continued eating, sharing stories here and there. Lily particularly enjoyed the one where Kai got loopy after being spit on by a Serpentine.

She bid the others good night, and went to Nya's room. Lily took a short bath and climbed into Nya's bed to sleep. "We'll get you back." She whispered to the empty spot next to her.

Meanwhile, Lloyd stayed completely silent, reading a comic book. The boys walked in, chattering a bit, taking turns in the bathroom. There was a small fight concerning who went first, but soon they all got ready and went to their beds. Lloyd kept his lamp on.

"Lloyd, you should go to sleep." Zane advised.

"No."

"Buddy," Kai groaned. "If you start yawning during the Final Bat-"

Lloyd shut his book hard enough it made a deafening _smack!_ sound. There was a rustling, and his lamp turned off.

Everyone slept uneasy that night.

The next morning, Lily realized how creepy it was that she slept in Nya's bed. It may have been out of sentimentality, but still. She hoped Nya would forgive her. Speaking of forgiveness, she did something so stupid yesterday that cost them their chance to stop the Battle.

The thought made her feel sick.

It was 6:30. Lily put on her robes (which had this weird power to magically fix and clean themselves each night, for...some reason), and went to the training course. She began punching the dummies, the morning fog giving her a chill up the spine. Consulting a book on basic martial arts and _Kenjutsu_ , particularly _Iaidō_ , she practiced her sword techniques and kicks.

"Good morning-"

She drew her sword and sliced it in the voice's direction. Somebody dressed in white jumped out of the way in time, running behind her and restraining Lily's arm. "Practicing, are we?"

"S-sorry, just a little jumpy. Top of the morning, Zane." The White Ninja let go of her and she deactivated the sword, sheathing the hilt in her robe.

"I made breakfast."

"But you made it yesterday."

"But I wanted to make it for everyone again." He smiled at her. "It was also Cole's turn today."

"Is that a bad thing?"

He stared at her in silence, his smile lost and eyes now cold and serious.

Lily swallowed thickly. "I'll...take that as a yes."

Zane pulled her inside, where everyone had gathered for the meal. It was brown rice, salmon, and bananas on the side. Somehow, it worked. Lloyd was nowhere to be seen. According to Kai, he was "staring out at the sun like Luke Skywalker".

"Sleep well?"

"Mmm. You?"

"Eh."

Lily sighed and finished the last of the fish, pushing the plate away. "Everyone."

The talking slowly stopped, all eyes on her.

Lily got up, and kneeled on the floor, before prostrating herself to the group. "Please forgive me for what happened yesterday! I was acting on impulse and I didn't mean to hinder you guys from getting to the clock sooner! I'm sorry for scaring you and for slapping Lloyd-"

"She did what?" Jay murmured.

"-And all in all, being a horrible Ninja! I am so, so so sorry! I was such a _glaekit eejit_!" She had remembered some words her grandmother used to describe her father when she was a little girl.

"You'r not a horrible Ninja." Kai said. "We would have done the same thing."

Lily looked up. "But I-"

"I think we weren't able to stop the Battle because we weren't meant too. You were trying to protect Lloyd from starting it early anyway. I would never say you were the reason we were too late."

Lily started to cry.

"Cheer up buttercup, we're gonna go do something important today." Cole smiled. "It ends with bony charred as-"

"What Cole means is we're gonna go get Garmadon today." Kai interrupted. "If the Final Battle happens, we can't let it get near Ninjago. And you are going on your first stealth mission!"

"What? I'm not ready!"

"Do you have any idea how quiet you actually are?"

Hmm. Good point.

Lily stood up. "Alright. When do we start?"

Wu and Lloyd walked in. Lloyd had a look of pure determination on his face. He looked at the team, and nodded at Lily. "Right now."


	15. Thyme

Wu laid out the plan. They are going to go straight to Garmadon. Now that the clock has finished ticking, the Final Battle could start whenever they wanted. Lloyd was still hesitant.

"Remember, your father is just as scared." Misako reassured him. "The battle will be decided by who is willing to fight. We can pray Garmadon won't wish to."

"He told me he isn't willing when we fought." Lily said. "Maybe he'll back down."

"What about the Stone Army?" Dr. Julien asked.

Lily unleashed her sword's glowing blade. He smiled giddily. "That'll do!"

"We'll be with you, Lloyd." Kai activated his blade as well. "You have my fire."

"And my earth." Cole released his as well.

"And my ice."

"And my lightning!"

Lily poked her sword out as well. "And my...soul, healing, whatever."

Lloyd took a deep breath, nodding to himself. "All right gang." He put on his hood. "Suit up!"

Everyone did their part-shining the swords, practicing their moves. Lily did her part by making and packing food. This earned some rather odd looks from the others, but she insisted that an empty stomach was a dead stomach. Stuffing the mochi balls into a bag, she and everyone were ready to run off into the woods.

Then she had a great idea.

"Alright, hang on everyone." Lily said. "Before we go. Kai, Zane, remember when I said I knew you were in trouble because I could hear your thoughts, or whatever?"

The two nodded, still creeped out by that.

"When I did, I was able to sense where you were exactly. Just in case any of you guys get lost, I want to have that link to you." She fumbled with her glove, trying to take it off.

"But when you touched our hands, you also saw our memories. And they weren't exactly memories that would make you battle-ready." Kai reminded her.

"No, Kai. I think I saw what you were reminded of most at the time. It just happened to be bad memories. All you guys have to do is think happy thoughts." She slipped her glove off. Knowing they could see her memories on her end, she tried to think of her grandmother. "Cole, take my hand. Remember, happy thoughts, please."

The Black Ninja stared at her pale hand like it was raw chicken, and took it firmly.

_Cole was so little. He was playing around in a garden, a tall woman with ebony skin and long black hair standing near him. Cole picked a red flower and put it in his mouth. "Look mommy! I'm just like daddy when he's dancing!" The flower fell out when he started talking, but Cole kept smiling._

_His mother laughed. "A spitting image, little Cole bucket." She picked him up. "One day, you're gonna rock the world."_

Lily let go of his hand, a warm smile on her face. Cole, on the other hand, was laughing. "Who was that in your memory? She was great!"

Jay was next.

_Jay and Nya were on a roller coaster gone wrong. The Blue Ninja was infected by one of the Serpentine, and his face was covered in scales. Nya was wrapped in chains next to him, and she was sputtering about a secret she had been keeping._

_"I...I'm the Samurai!"_

_"You're the Samurai!?" The track was starting to run out, and soon they were going to reach this huge ring of fire and be flung into oblivion._

_"Jay, if anything horrible were to happen, I want you to know that you don't have to wear cologne or pretend to be anything that you're not. Because I like you best when you're you." She leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek._

Lily's cheeks felt warm, and her heart rate was up.

"Oh my gosh, Cole, I get it now! Was that your grandmother in your memory?!" Jay was laughing very hard.

Lloyd tentatively held out his hand. "I'm guessing you loved your grandmother?"

"Very much, yes." Lily confirmed.

He took her hand.

_Lloyd was on the beach of the Dark Island, watching his friends play in the ocean. Seeing everyone just being normal and having fun like that...somehow, he knew things were going to work out. Even with the new girl, Lily. He knew she was going to be a great addition to the team. He hoped she'd stay after all this. He put his sunglasses back over his eyes and laid back, enjoying the sun on his skin._

They looked at each other, sharing a smile.

Wu held out his hand for Lily, and all she saw was him and a younger Garmadon playing together as children. Once she let go, Wu gave her a knowing nod. This Final Battle thing was tearing him apart inside too.

For Misako, it was what you'd expect from a mother.

_"Misako! You can do it." Her husband Garmadon held her hand tighter. "I'm here!"_

_She gave one final scream, and it was over. All over. Garmadon put his forehead to hers. "You did so well."_

_"Is he alright?" She asked._

_Her answer was a baby's cry._

_A doctor had wrapped up her little baby boy in a swaddle, and he was screaming, little fists shaking in the air. She held her arms out, and he was placed in them. He continued to scream and whine, until she put a finger on his face. Her little Lloyd calmed down, and gently cooed. Garmadon brushed back a small tuft of blonde hair sticking out from the blanket. "I see he has my grandfather's hair. Such a handsome boy."_

_"Lloyd...oh sweetie. It's okay, mummy's here..." Misako held him close. It was worth everything just to see him._

Lily turned to Lloyd with the biggest grin on her face. Lloyd was very confused, until he realized what memory Misako probably showed her. "Oh no no no no-MOM!" Misako responded with a lovely smile.

Turning to Dr. Julien, she stuck her hand out. But inventor shook his head. "I know your intentions, but I'd rather not show my memories. They are...difficult, sometimes. Besides, I'll be with Zane!"

"Father-" Zane reached out.

"I said what I said." He sighed. "I'm terribly sorry, Lily."

"I understand. I'm surprised you're the first to not want to show me a memory."

Zane hugged his father. "Please listen. I do not wish for you to come with us. It could be dangerous, and you are...vulnerable."

"But you could be damaged!" Julien pleaded.

"I've survived this long, haven't I?" Zane smiled. "Watch the Bounty. We will return. I'll make sure of it."

And so, they set off, the trees flying past them in green and brown blurs.

"Lily, remember!" Wu said as they ran. "You have the ability to heal others. If you can unlock it using the boost from the Temple, use it!"

"Will do Sensei!" She said.

They arrived at the fort of the Stone Army. Lloyd signaled for everyone to get down. "Alright, remember your roles. Kai, Cole, you're our firepower. Zane, Jay, you keep the harder machines at bay. I'll go looking for my father. Lily, keep us safe please."

"Will do, Chosen One."

"One, two...three!"

Everyone started for the gate, kicked it at the same time, wood splinters showering down. "NINJA GO!" They screamed.

But nobody came. It was completely abandoned.

"Where is everybody...?" Jay asked. "Wait, it could be an ambush!"

Lloyd summoned a couple orbs and threw them around, decimating the rocks and empty towers. Nobody was hiding behind anything. Cole stared at the ground and raised his sword up, ready to shake them out from below if he had to. 

"Cole, stop! I think we truly are alone." Wu told his student.

Cole sheathed his sword slowly, not exactly buying it. "Here I was all ready to unleash the thunder."

"That's my quip!" Jay elbowed him.

"Where's that Ultimate Weapon?" Kai poked around. "Don't tell me they took off with it..."

They were interrupted by a falcon's screech. The bird was soaring overhead, and in his journey passed large wheel tracks in the mud. They were...ginormous.

"You guys said you got a glimpse of the Weapon, right?" Lloyd asked. "Did it happen to have large wheels?"

"If it didn't then, it does now. Come on!" Zane ushered the team into motion. The Weapon had barreled through the barricade of the fortress, smashing through trees and leaving behind a pile of destruction. If this is what it did simply by moving, then what it could do fully activated terrified Lily.

"It appears to be heading toward the coast." Zane observed, panting.

"But why? Wouldn't he try to use it on us?"

"Not on us. On Ninjago. He always wanted to turn our world into his own image!" Wu realized, stopping in his tracks. "This is worse than I thought. If he starts turning things to evil out of their will, the balance will surely shift and allow the Overlord to cross over into our world."

"Then we have to make sure that my father never fires that weapon." Lloyd continued to run, following the tracks. The Ninja followed suit.

"Um, is anyone else thinking about how this might be our final fight together?" Jay wondered aloud.

Everyone expect for Lily agreed.

"We've come a long way. It wasn't that long ago when Sensei first found us." Kai chuckled.

"Hey, remember when you thought you were gonna be the Green Ninja?"

"Don't remind me!"

They all laughed. Lily smiled, but inside it tore her apart just how well they knew each other. Sure, they were friends now, but she still hadn't been on so many adventures with them. She wondered how they'd feel if she was the one who ended up dying by their side.

No, nobody was dying. Lily struggled to keep those thoughts out of her head.

They continued to chat about the past, about fighting each other on accident, or Wu's survival of just about everything. It only stopped when something red sped past Lily, kicking her cheek. She winced, stopping. "Did anybody else see that?"

"...See what?"

"Something went past me and hit my face." She showed them the cut.

"It was probably just a branch." Kai assured her, until the same red thing went behind him, kicking him in the back. "Hey? The f-" He was kicked again in the jaw.

"Alright, you've had your fun!" Cole hefted his blade. "Come on out!"

"...I sense an evil presence." Zane mumbled. Then his eyes shot wide open. "Cole, LOOK OUT-"

A spinning red tornado leapt from the bushes, and a spiked chain uncurled from it. The weapon wrapped around Cole's neck, grabbing him and pulling him a yard away.

"COLE!" Zane yelled.

The tornado stopped spinning. The chain was still around Cole's neck, blood soaking his uniform. He struggled trying to pry it off. Lily looked at the attacker, wanting to give them a piece of her mind, yet couldn't believe what-or who, she saw.

It was Nya. And her once green blue eyes were now glowing a vicious red.


	16. Cattleya

Cole was gagging, gasping for air. He reached for the others, but Nya pulled him back with a harsh twist of her wrist. The chain wrapped tighter around him.

"Nya! How could you?!" Jay screamed at her.

She bared her teeth like a feral animal.

"That isn't her, Jay. I think she's...hypnotized?" Kai looked her up and down, trying to figure out what had happened to her. Her skin was a more, mute gray than before, her red dress replaced with a purple samurai's uniform.

"Little help." Cole breathed.

"Don't worry Cole, we'll-GAH!" Zane was swiftly kicked in the face by Nya. The chain extended to reach her position, and Cole's face starting turning an odd color. Lily brought out her sword and closed her eyes. Greyish-green colors danced behind her eyelids. If she could just-

_LOSING AIR OH MY GOSH HELP ME_

"She suffocating him!" Lily readied her blade.

"Ya think?!" Jay motioned at Nya, who growled at them. "We gotta separate the chain!"

"We can't fight her like the other enemies we deal with! We'll have to knock her out."

"Distract her! I'll use my ice!" Zane didn't wait for an answer and shot a blast at Nya's face, clouding her vision with snow crystals. Jay and Kai yelled, running over to her, and grabbed her arms. Nya pulled the arm Kai held up, only for him to slide under her still holding it. This caused Nya to let go, and Jay took the chance. He swung around and hopped on her back. "Nya, I am so sorry!" He brought the bottom of his sword on her head, and she went limp for a moment.

Then her neck snapped up. She looked at him and growled, revealing fangs.

Jay didn't even get a chance to apologize before he was grabbed and thrown in Lily's direction. They fell to the ground together, rolling over one another.

There was a sharp slice of metal, and the chain connecting the spiked ball to the hilt of Nya's weapon was broken. Cole's face had started to turn blue, and Zane was desperately trying to untie the tangled chain around his neck.

"Stop it, Nya!" Lily fired a blast at her feet, making Nya fall. She got up on her legs and arms and prepared to charge. Kai grabbed her leg to hold her back. She whipped around, screaming at him and scratching at his face.

"Sis, stop it! IT'S ME, KAI!" She continued to bite at him and scream. Jay got to his feet and put his arms under her elbows, hoisting her up.

"Nya, please!"

She let out a primal scream in response.

Jay looked at Kai. "Please don't kill me" he mouthed, took off his hood, turned Nya around and kissed her.

She stopped, struggling in his grip. Her eyes were wide open in surprise. Jay pressed harder, raising a hand on her cheek. They seemed to soften and close. She laid a hand on Jay's chest, pulling him closer...

Before she dragged long, sharp nails down his chest, making Jay scream in agony. To rub salt in the wound, she pushed him away with unfeeling eyes and raised what was left of her weapon.

Then the earth shook and opened beneath her. She fell to her waist before it closed again, trapping her.

Cole was panting, his sword stuck in the dirt and his neck painted crimson. Zane was by his side, desperately trying to stop the bleeding by casting a small layer of ice over the wound. The bloody chain laid in a heap next to them.

Nya screamed and clawed at the dirt below her, but it was no use. Cole put her there, and it seemed only Cole could get her out. Jay touched his chest, his eyes wet. "What did...they do...to her..." He fell to the ground.

"JAY!" Lily scrambled over, assessing his injuries. 5 long gashes were gushing along his chest. Jay took an obviously painful breath.

"I'll make it. Ow."

Lily raised her sword over the cuts. Kai stood up quickly. "He's got a chance, you don't need to mercy kill him now!"

"I'm not! I'm trying to heal him." She waved the blade's flat side over his chest. "Come on...heal him...healthy...be healthy...turn back time...please!"

Nothing happened.

"I said please!" She waved it faster, and the sword glowed with an aura.

Jay sucked in a breath. "Oi. I kinda feel a little better..."

"Probably because they're as deep as a cat's scratch would be. You'll be fine." Wu observed.

Lily dropped her sword to the dirt in irritation. "My self-esteem is doing great, thanks for asking..." She muttered. "Wait-Cole!" She turned, sword in hand, and rushed over to the wheezing Earth Ninja. Zane had his hands o his shoulders, trying to ease him of the pain.

"He's alive." That was all he said.

"I-" Cole cut himself off by coughing painfully, covering his mouth with a hand. When he lowered it, it was covered in blood.

"Don't talk, let me try..." Lily waved her sword around his neck. "Dang it, work! Please!"

"We should stay here." Zane said. "Garmadon is getting closer to his goal every second. We will only slow you down."

"No, I can't just-"

There was a scuffling sound, and Lily turned to find Nya digging herself out. Cole tightened his grip on his sword. He was too weak to keep Nya in there with solid rock, so she had been trapped in softened clay instead. Kai and Jay surrounded her. "Lloyd, Lily, go!"

"I can't leave you guys! Why me?"

"Because Lloyd is gonna need you in case things go bad." Kai glanced at her sword. "Go!"

Lloyd shook his head. "You guys said you'll always be right behind me."

"Technically, we will." Nya freed an arm, and Kai forced his hands on it, struggling to keep it down. "Stop stalling, Chosen One!"

Lily knew what she had to do. She grabbed Lloyd's hand and ran for the beach, dragging him along. Wu and Misako were right next to them in moments. Just as they arrived, Lily could hear Garmadon saying something about a dream becoming reality.

"FATHER, NO!" Lloyd cried out, and Garmadon turned to look at him.

He was standing atop a large, mechanical tank shaped like a samurai helmet. It had a huge cannon on it's front, and was surrounded by Stone Warriors. It's tracks were this bloody red, and all around it were green and red spikes jutting out to poke the poor soul that got too close. The blipping sounds and power cables coming from it proved it had superior technology to whatever the Bounty could come up with. There was this strange...orb of purple next to Garmadon, floating like waves of heat coming off a grill. Weird.

...The point is, this was the Ultimate Weapon in front of them, about to wreak havoc unchecked. And as if things couldn't get any worse, Lily was the only Ninja left to protect Lloyd.

She gripped her sword and scowled.

Garmadon's red eyes glanced at her, and her wrist hurt. She forced it to stay in position, but found herself lowering the sword. She couldn't fight him while he was weak, how could she do it now?!

"So, the balance has sent my son, my brother, and my wife to try to stop me?" He scanned the ground and assessed his threats. "It looks like my little surprise has kept the Ninja busy. So why in the world would you be here, weakling?" He pointed at Lily.

"Shut up!" She yelled at him. Garmadon raised a hand over the button.

"Don't do it!" Misako's voice made him falter. "If you alter the balance, it will allow the Overlord to cross over." Her hand wavered, as if she wanted to reach out to him. "Don't do this."

"I don't want to fight you, father." Lloyd walked closer. "Please. We can stop this. If you press that button and unleash whatever that weapon is, I'll have to start the Battle. Neither of us want that."

"Listen to reason, brother." Wu calmly agreed.

Garmadon's hand left the control panel the button laid on. The strange orb near him seemed to get hotter, and more wavy. A whisper filled the air with a chill. The Lord of Darkness leaned over the railing, and he spread his arms. "Neither do I. But hear me! The evil in my blood can never go away. It has corrupted every ounce of my fiber, every bone in my body.

"Destiny took my family from me, and the only way for us to be together is to turn everything in this world into my image. Then you'll all see what I see, feel what I feel!" He took a deep breath, and his eyes softened. "Lloyd, I don't want to fight you. But I can do _something_!

"I can remake the world with a press of a button, and we can be together! Forever, even! I won't fight your friends anymore either, because I won't need to! Come here and stand by my side. Misako, you as well. We can all rule together! Wu, you will oversee it with me as were were always meant to!"

Lloyd stayed silent.

"My son...join me." Garmadon held a hand out.

A small tear escaped Lloyd's eye. "I'm sorry father. I can't."

"Then so be it." With lightning speed he brought his hand down onto the button. Lloyd blasted a bolt of energy his way, but it was blocked by a kamikaze Stone Warrior.

"NOOO!" All four of them screamed. It was too late. Lily had only heard of the Overlord from Wu, and she knew if he came into this plane of existence the scales would tip horribly. And now it was entirely possible. What would he look like? What would he do? She was scared to death.

Then something clicked in place, and a small artificial voice belonging to the machine began to talk. "Garmatron warming up. In T-minus 20...19...18...17..."

"Warming...up? You could've warned me it had to warm up!" He spoke to the orb.

The air next to him suddenly spoke. "How could I? You were monologuing!"

Lily stifled a giggle. "I-It's called the 'Garmatron'? Ha! That's a stupid name for a weapon." She blurted.

The Lord whipped around and glared at her. "You _shut up_!" His fists were shaking and his teeth were bared, fangs and all.

Lily found herself responding rather harshly. "Wait. Are you actually that hurt by my comment? Considering you almost killed me in cold blood, I thought you'd be able to take it!" She snapped. Oh, yikes. Very harsh.

"I know of your infinite powers. Would you like me to pin you to the wall with knives and stab your heart again and again? Because that can be arranged!" Garmadon threatened her.

Lily and Lloyd shared a quick look. She had an idea. It might just work. "I find that hard to believe. You have so much evil inside of you, I bet you don't even remember what a heart looks like!" She retorted again.

The Stone Warriors gasped in sync, and stared at Garmadon. He growled, an eye twitching. "I take it back. I'll bring you a long, painful death instead."

Lily kept going. "Bold of you to assume you'd manage to kill me."

"You doubt my power?!"

"Riiiight, sorry. I forgot for a moment that you can't seem to handle any criticism."

"You're petty for stopping to such immature levels."

"You're the immature one for not simply ignoring me at first!" Lily felt so horrible for saying these things but at the same time revenge felt so good. And most of what she was saying wasn't exactly wrong, if Garmadon's reaction had anything to say about it. The Stone Warriors' jaws were open so wide they looked like they were gonna fall right off.

Garmadon was fuming. "YOU INSOLENT LITTLE-!"

"You've gone around destroying villages and threatening my home! " Lily let her anger seep a bit and she pointed her sword at the villain. "But you get all mad over something I said? Dude, my words aren't even close to the taste of your own medicine!" During the entire argument, Lloyd had snuck right behind them and climbed onto the machine. He was _this_ close to getting in the cockpit and finding the off-switch.

And Lily made the mistake of looking at him for too long.

Garmadon saw her eyes. "Ah. I see your game..." He rumbled, then in one swift move grabbed Lloyd by the wrist, lifting him off the Garmatron and plopping him in the sand. Stone Warriors surrounded him. Garmadon laughed. "That was good, little rookie. But enough chatter, from both of us. Let's settle this once and for ALL!"

With nobody pressing the stop button like they planned, the weapon did what it was designed to do-and fired.


	17. Mountain Ash

"I...WIN!" Garmadon said in disbelief.

The beach shook, sand splashing everywhere. Lily watched as the missile fired into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. The air felt too hot, too dense. Misako curled her hand into a fist. "No!" She caught eye of the Warriors closing in on Lloyd, and she completely forgot he could take them. Her motherly instincts took over. "GET AWAY FROM MY SON!" She made a beeline for the Stone Warriors circling Lloyd. One reached out to hack her to pieces with twin swords, but she stopped them using her bare hands. Blood seeped down her arms, painting the sand red.

"MOM!" Lloyd screamed, and did Spinjutsu, whirling out of the circle and kicking the Warrior hard enough he turned back not stone. Lloyd summoned an orb of light and intimidated the other Soldiers with it. "Get back! All of you!"

Misako narrowed her eyes at Garmadon. "What, have you _done_?"

Garmadon answered her with a sick laugh. "Again! Fire it again!"

Lily's sword shook. She could feel the natural balance of the world tipping, shifting towards the night. She felt her ambition lose her, and her sword grow limp in her hands. Garmadon turned around, staring them, laughing.

Her feelings of loss were replaced with rage.

She screamed and ran up to him, climbing over stone Warriors and meeting him in the cockpit. She began to hit him with her sword furiously, not bothering to keep the swings from hurting her as well. With every clang of the metal against Garmadon's armor, she yelled out.

"YOU! DON'T! BELONG! IN! THIS! WORLD-ACK!" She was interrupted by a cold hand closing around her throat from behind her. It was the General of the Army. He seemed to smile under his mask, before squeezing. Lily growled and turned her sword over in her hand, activating it right in front of his groin.

The Stone General actually yelped, dropping Lily. She left the sword where it was and proceeded to run past Garmadon and try to destroy the console with her bare hands, but Garmadon just picked her up like a sack of flour and threw her over the side, where she landed in front of Wu and Misako. Moments later, there was a shriek, and her sword came flying over.

"IDIOT! You just gave her back the only thing capable of destroying you!"

"Ah...forgive me, my lord." The general winced. "The pain clouded my-"

Lloyd suddenly jumped on top of Kozu's head, crushing him and the floor beneath him, and making the poor guy fall straight thorough the metal door to the cockpit. Lloyd landed in front of his father. He began to float, his golden locks wiping around his face and his eyes burning a neon green. "I'm going to end this, father!"

"My son...you are so stubborn." Garmadon sighed. The orb next to Garmadon began to laugh. He looked over at it, confusion on his face. "What is your problem? Do you think it's funny we have to-"

"No. You've helped offset the balance. Because of you, I can now cross over into your world. I'm finally free!" It screamed.

Lloyd's powers shut off for a moment. "What?"

The orb suddenly grew tendrils and began to strangle Garmadon, at the same time releasing a blast that knocked Lloyd off the top of the Garmatron. He landed next to Lily, and the two scrambled up. Lily activated her sword, Lloyd summoned a stream of Power.

"What is that thing doing to my father?!"

"Lloyd...I'm afraid that 'thing'...is the Overlord." Wu said softly.

Garmadon's entire body was now floating in the air like some rag doll. His eyes were a pure white, and his limbs twisted in natural positions. Lloyd fired a ray at the orb, but it simply dodged it and fired one at Lloyd, hitting him in the shoulder. Lloyd was thrown back several feet, but he still managed to stand.

"My shoulder..." He groaned. "My...My shoulder! I can't feel my shoulder!"

"Lloyd!" It was Kai's voice. He and the others were finally catching up to the group. As they arrived, a stream of white light shot down from the sky onto Garmadon. Jay squinted.

"What in the world did we miss?"

"I think he broke his shoulder." Misako said, examining her son. Lloyd tried to move it, but all he managed was a floppy arm that was glowing with purple dark stuff. "No..worse."

Lloyd's eyes widened. "My neck is numb too...I think it's corrupting me!" He tried to summon an orb, but could only manage a tiny lamp of Green light.

"What do we do?!" Cole asked, panicking.

Lily could see the Darkness seeping in Lloyd's veins, slowly taking whatever control he had left away from him. It went down to his legs, across his back, and grew on his face. Lloyd tried to veer away from it, the black tendrils covering his cheek little by little. Garmadon was still being tortured, and the wind was blowing so strong Lily could barely breathe.

Something spoke to her in the back of her mind. She felt something leave her and something-no, _someone_ else take her hands, guiding her gently. She felt warm, and safe. She took off her hood.

_To know the Master of Soul, know this._

Lily dropped her sword into the sand and walked over. She put a hand on Lloyd, trying to calm him. In an instant his eyes were on her, and he stopped hyperventilating. "Lay down." She told him. "It's going to be okay. I know what to do." Lloyd was confused, but he did as she asked, trying to breathe normally.

_The Master of Soul's body will recreate what it has lost._

The Violet Ninja gently opened up Lloyd's kimono, revealing a nasty mass of purple and midnight blue on his skin. It seemed to pulsate. She pressed a hand against it, making Lloyd scream in pain. Lily pulled back, then examined her hand. She studied it for a moment, and looked into Lloyd's emerald eyes, which were now start to turn a blood red like his father's.

_She will be saved by the Green Ninja,_

She held her hand over her heart, where it began to glow as it always did when she used her power. Her hand sung with a melody, and waves of lavender coated it like a shield. The others watched, realizing what she was trying to do.

_And in turn save him too._

She laid it on Lloyd's wounded shoulder, where the corruption was the worst. Just as he lost his eyes, the Darkness began to flow back into Lily's hand, surrounding it and floating harmlessly in the air. Grey skin turned back to white. The tumors faded. All signs of corruption were seeping away. Lloyd's heart suddenly skipped a beat, then started again in a calm manner. As the last drop of evil was pulled from Lloyd's body, a flash of light appeared on the initial spot. Lloyd gasped. There was a lavender scar in the same of Lily's palm. She lifted her hand up, the collected darkness swirling around like bracelets.

_She is vital to the Ninja of Prophecy, just as they are to her._

She stood up, faced the white column that had trapped Garmadon, and pointed at it. Immediately the Darkness swirling around her hand shot towards it, sharpening and striking with ease. The light flickered, and a figure fell to the ground. The Darkness continued to lash out like whips. Lily raised her hand in the air, and swung it down; in response, the entire mass of purple gathered into a large club and brought itself down upon Garmadon...until a clawed hand held itself out in front of it's path.

"STOP." An unsettling voice said. It felt like winter wind blowing rocks down a mountain.

The club shivered in place, unsure who to listen to. It then appeared to take a neutral side and dissipated, leaving only a smoky trace in the air. The warm feeling that entered Lily's heart was now gone.

"What...was that?" Jay asked.

"Lily's true power." Wu answered.

Lloyd had folded his kimono over himself again, clasping it tight and rolling his shoulder a couple of times. All the ninja looked at Lily in awe. But she was more focused on the figure in the cockpit. Whoever it was, her power was telling her it was NOT Garmadon.

She closed her eyes, mumbled something, and opened them again. Her sclera was now a light purple color. The entire world, at least to her, was now black and white, the only things standing out were the colored silhouettes of people-their souls. Lily looked back at the Ninja for a moment to make sure they were all okay.

His silhouettes was made of Green energy, his inner Golden Power overlaying his body. Jay was this crackling, twitchy thing of lightning. Kai had a fiery outline, of course, but inside it was soft and gentle. Cole's was solid, pebbles and small rocks floating around him. Zane's was made of smooth ice, unsurprisingly, but there were silver bits and pieces pinging together with soft metal taps. Each Ninja was glowing bright, telling Lily they were alive and well.

She turned back and stared at the cockpit. ...Wait. Garmadon was still up there, but there were weird, black strings connecting to his body. Somebody was floating above him, holding them. Garmadon took a step...but only because the being moved the string like a marionette.

Lily blinked, her normal vision returning, and opened her mouth in a silent scream.

"Who is that?! Where's my father?!" Lloyd stood up, staring at the figure in all of it's unholy glory. It had Garmadon's outline, sure, but that was it. There were dragons jaws on it's face, dripping with saliva and a forked tongue slipping in and out. Claws extended from it's fingers like misshapen nails. His lower area was shaped like saytr legs, but ended in dragon feet. There was a long tail, a smoking puff on the end. On it's back, large spikes had protruded from it's scales, blood still dripping down from where they sprout out.

"Father...?" Lloyd reached out towards it.

Wu put a hand on front of Lloyd, stopping him from walking further. "No, Lloyd. That is no longer your father."

"Wu, the prophecy. It said I had to face my father." Lloyd pointed at the...thing. "That is _not_ him."

"You still must, but now the Overlord has possessed him. Unlike your father, the Overlord will show you no mercy."

Lily now knew who was holding the strings above Garmadon. She felt her knees go weak. She wanted to fall to the sand and never get up again, but her entire body felt locked in place like a doll.

"I can't do this..." Lloyd shivered. He looked at his hands, blinking away tears.

"You can do this, Lloyd." Kai put an arm around his shoulder.

"We're here and behind you all the way."

"He's tough, but you're tougher!"

The ninja continuously gave Lloyd messages of comfort and confidence. Lily felt the words affect her too. Something whispered in the back of her head again.

"Mah wee _flúr_." Her grandmother's voice said.

 _Grandma?_ Lily thought.

"Och, how ye'v grown. Noo, listen dear." Her thick Scottish accent made it hard to understand, but Lily knew her well enough to know what she was talking about. "Yer other grandma Yuri tellt me that ye got her powers, 'n' ah have ne'er bin more proud. Noo, go show mah son how wrong about ye he was." She said. And then, she was gone.

Lily pulled up her hood. She narrowed her eyes, pulled out her sword, activating it. She felt Kai's hand on hers. He was smiling at her warmly, she could tell from his eyes. She grinned back.

"That was awesome, what you did." Kai said. "We're counting on you to take care of us in case we get hurt as well."

"I'll do more than that." Lily promised.

"Let's do this." Lloyd told the team. "Ninja..."

The rest of the team raised their weapons. "Go!" Everyone said in sync, spinning into tornados. Lily simply ran at the Overlord, her heart glowing through her skin and fabric with the brightest light she'd ever seen.

She was capable.


	18. Oleander

_Yuri felt the wind on her face, blowing her ebony hair in all directions. She felt her husband walk up behind her, greeting her with a kiss to the back of the neck. She melted into his embrace. "Toko." She murmured. Funny to think they had originally married for politics, to stop tyranny and a war...only to find they were the perfect fit as years passed._

_"My sweet lily." He said, his voice deep as the bottom of the caves. His hands rested on her protruding belly. "It's any day now she will come, correct?"_

_"Any minute, any day...whenever she feels like it." Yuri smiled. "She's going to have your eyes, I know it."_

_"No, she will have yours." He smiled. "Do your trick again. I want to see her."_

_Yuri gave him a toothy grin and stepped away, putting her hands together. She mumbled some incoherent words before bringing the glowing fingers of her right hand to rest right above her womb. She laid her left on Toko's forehead, and his sclera turned lavender. He smiled warmly._

_They could see the peach-colored soul of their child, and therefore see the baby's form as well. She was so small, so shy. She had a little nose, tiny lips. She had her short arms wrapped around herself, and she tried to stretch her legs a little. But she had little room, and only succeeded in angrily kicking her mother with her heels. Toko chucked softly. "Our little Anastasia..."_

As the fight began, Lily couldn't think. She only did. She only became. She whirled around with her sword, and brought it up in an arc, tearing apart an entire flock of soldiers with one swing. The she leapt up, yelling as she came in contact with the driver of one of the mechs. She quite literally punched him out of the seat, but his body broke away from his feet, which stayed on the pedals. The machine continued to drive forward. She climbed across the back, jumping. "JAY!"

"Already on it!" The Blue Ninja did an epic backflip over the still-moving vehicle and struck it with a bolt of lightning, catching Lily as she fell. They slid in the sand, fighting off more warriors. "Hey, Lil?"

"What's up?" She cracked the skull of a mook.

"What you did with Lloyd...do you think you'll be able to do that with Nya too?"

"I'm sure I can. By the way-" Lily paused to kick a warrior back. "Where is she?"

"Trapped in a cage made of ice under a palm tree. Zane was furious. She'll have to dig for weeks if she wants out of there."

"I hope we can defeat the darkness before she starves!" Lily reminded Jay.

"She has coconuts. Don't worry, I personally made sure she was-LOOK OUT!" Jay grabbed Lily and zipped over to the other side of the battlefield, just as a bomb exploded right where they were standing. Lily felt very light-headed, but Jay looked like he could go a couple hundred more rounds.

"Warn me PLEASE." She begged him. Jay helped her up. A stream of green shot past them, revealing Lloyd. He made it up to the top of the Garmatron, and faced down the creature that took over his father. He was furious. His eyes twitched, his hands sparking with Energy.

"This ends now!" He proclaimed. "I am Lloyd Garmadon, son of Lord Garmadon! And you have no right to be in this world!" His emerald eyes narrowed. "My whole life. It's all led to this."

"I've been planning this for thousands of years!" The Overlord screeched, his jaw full of sharp teeth as he leaned in towards Lloyd. Disgusted, Lloyd prepared a beam of light.

"EAT GREEN!" He cried out, shooting the Overlord point-blank. He staggered back, but only stood up taller.

"Hmmph." He rumbled low in his throat. "The battle for good and evil. I can do this for eternity, but can you? Your friends can't help you now. You are all alone."

Lloyd summoned some power and punched him in the face.

_Anastasia held her youngest child Amaryllis. The little baby cooed, reaching for her mother's hair with big purple eyes. The color was so odd, but she was healthy. That's all that mattered. She watched her stick out her tongue and blow a small bubble. She blinked in confusion, almost startled by what she just did with her own mouth._

_"Yes, yes, that's all." Her husband said on the phone. When she first met Lyle, he had stopped her from committing suicide. They had been best friends. But in the years since they had Alder, he's...changed. It bugged Anastasia. He was so focused on Alder, but she had a feeling it wasn't because he was just his son._

_Alder was certainly gifted. In fact, right now he was playing on the piano despite only being two years old. The sound was very ragged and mostly just tiny fingers slapping at keys, but the melody was akin to the ABC song. Amaryllis seemed to enjoy it, as she opened her mouth in a big "o" and made a happy sound._

_Alder stopped playing and toddled over. He patted his sister's head lightly. His mother smiled. "Do you love your sister?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Can you say her name?"_

_"Amarywis."_

_Quite advanced, save for some letters. Anastasia smiled at her son. "Do you know what an amaryllis is?"_

_"A fwower." He pointed at his sister. "It's a wiwy."_

_"A what? A lily?"_

_"A wi...a...a...lll..." He tried to pronounce it correctly. "Lllllillwwyyyy!"_

_Amaryllis smiled and mewled at him._

_"I think she likes that." Anastasia observed. Alder continued to try and say his 'L's correctly, and Anastasia felt so content and warm with her children in the room, just being, not having to care about who was good enough..._

_Until Lyle walked in. His eyes were colder than usual._

Almost as cold as the Overlord's eyes as he grabbed Lloyd by the throat, slapping him across the face, then backhanding him, before throwing him into a tree. Lloyd got up, wiping blood from his mouth. Lily stepped forward, her hand glowing, but was stopped by Wu. "This is his fight."

"It's not fair. We're right here!"

"...I know."

Lloyd wailed, and summoned a beam. In retaliation the Overlord let four small orbs glow in his hands, before blasting them at Lloyd. Their powers met with a large bang, a wave of wind shaking the beach.

He was right there. And so vulnerable. Lily pointed her sword at him. If she could just-

Lloyd's power suddenly grew a whole lot stronger, and the Overlord was pushed straight into the ocean. Lily let out a sigh of relief, lowering her sword.

Then the water erupting into a geyser, and the Overlord was flying like Iron Man, using his orbs to continuously shoot down a stream of fire to keep afloat. He came roaring back, ramming into Lloyd, before setting himself back down and firing another beam set. Lloyd barely had time to counter it, his own wound sapping away at his stamina.

Lily raised her sword again, but this time pointed it at Lloyd. She was about to fire a beam of healing power, when Wu put a hand on her arm. "No, we cannot interfere."

"What."

"This is his fight-"

"You keep saying that! But we can't heal him? Help him? Keep him standing and strong? Lloyd's only a kid. We're all kids!" Lily growled. "I came on this mission so I can heal the protecters of Ninjago. That is the whole reason I came in the first place, and now I can't do it?"

"The prophecy-"

"The prophecy can suck it!" Lily retorted, getting a small reaction from Jay, and ran to Lloyd, her hand glowing and ready to heal the gash on his belly. "Lloyd! Keep fighting!"

His eyes widened. "No, stay back!"

Lily ignored him and slid down on her knees, touching her hand to his wound. Lloyd hitched a breath at the contact. She could feel her powers seeping into him, although the wound did not seem to be healing. Maybe he could at least get a nice bolt of power from her.

 _Nope_ , said the universe.

The Overlord went up into the air and opened his jaw, flying towards Lily and grabbing her by the head.As she was suddenly whisked into the sky, Lily could faintly hear Lloyd's scream. She was a thousand feet up into the air. Lily was let go by his insidious mouth, grabbed instead by four arms with sharp fingers digging into her skin. She and the Overlord were eye to eye. His breath was so cold.

"You should learn to mind your own business."

The Overlord threw her down, the air going so fast Lily couldn't hear or comprehend anything. She rammed into a lot of things. She felt a strong shock run through her body, then nothing. 

The creature smiled sickeningly, then soared down and kicked Lloyd into the sand. The shoreline soaked his gi as he stumbled into it. But the Green Ninja got up, taking off his hood to show his face. His eyes were full of anger and determination. Don't these Ninja ever quit? 

"My father is still in you!" Lloyd yelled at him. "FATHER! FIGHT HIM!" He blasted a beam of light at the Overlord, who countered with his own. They were in a stream-off once more, trying to push each other back with their own waves of light or darkness.

The Overlord's eyes twitched violently, and he closed them. Upon opening, Garmadon's blood red eyes looked back at his son. Lloyd stifled a sob. "F-father!"

"Son!" Garmadon choked out. For a single moment, his face looked like Garmadon's again.

Lloyd felt tears pouring down his cheeks. He tried to ignore the pain on his stomach, trying to bring his dad back. "See? He will fight with me!" He snapped at the Overlord. His father's own eyes looked at him in primal fear, something Lloyd had not seen his father feel for a long time. His face kept switching from a dragon's jaw to that of his own lips, but his father's eyes were always on it's face. As the Overlord screeched obscenities towards Lloyd, Garmadon managed to get a few words in.

"Lloyd! Stay strong." 

"I can try! Fight, Father!" Lloyd cried, his hands burning from holding out his power this long.

"Lloyd!" His father's eyes began to flicker with the rest of the face.

"Fight him!" Lloyd couldn't handle losing his father. He wouldn't. He refused to let it happen.

"You will not...take...my son..." Garmadon croaked, staring down at the sand in a meager attempt to control himself. Then his head snapped up with a sickening crack. His eyes were gone, replaced with those purple pupils and that sickening voice.

"Your father...is gone."

Lloyd hesitated for a moment, thoughts roaring in his mind like the ocean behind him. _No, that wasn't true. I saw my father's face flashing through the Overlord's wicked form._ _He told me to be strong, he didn't want me to die. How could he be gone? He can't be._ In Lloyd's disbelief, he had created the perfect opening for the Overlord. He overpowering the will Lloyd had left. The Chosen One felt his body leave the ground and soar, over his friends, the Garmatron...then he hit the sand. His leg made a cracking noise, and went numb.

Lloyd couldn't move. He could only watch as the Garmatron went through a portal, and his father truly was gone.

Everything was dark for a moment.

Then he opened his eyes. His mother was standing over him, and she almost cried seeing him wake. "Lloyd! Lloyd, are you alright? How do you feel?"

"My head hurts..."

"Do you want a fresh towel?"

Only then Lloyd noticed he was under a tent, a wet towel on his forehead. He was wrapped up in a blanket like a burrito. "Uh...no, I'm fine." He struggled to get up, but his body wouldn't cooperate. "Mom...what happened?"

Misako was silent for a moment. "You...wre knocked out."

Did he win the Final Battle? ....Eh. To be honest, he was too tired to care about that right now. The thing he wanted to focus on was-

"Guys! Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, Nya, Lily. Are they alright?"

"Yes, the boys are fine. Nya...Nya escaped. She's still corrupted, but I think we found a way to undo it. ...At least, we did."

"That's great, mom. And Lily? I saw the Overlord grab her when she was trying to help me. Is she alright?"

Misako was silent again. She looked down.

Lloyd squinted at her. "Mom? Did you hear me?"

"Look to your...right, sweetie."

Lloyd managed to turn his head, ignoring the aching pain from it. He almost had a heart attack when he saw what was next to him, then sighed in relief. Lily was staring up at the ceiling, seemingly sleeping.

Lloyd tried to sit up. "Lil?"

Misako put a hand on Lloyd's arm. "Lloyd...I need you to listen to me."

"No...is she-?!" Lloyd panicked.

"No, no, she's alive. Her heart is beating." Misako looked at Lily, taking a shaky breath. "She...she..."

"Mom. Just tell me, please."

"She won't respond. She's in some sort of coma."

In that moment, Lloyd realized that despite the fact her heart was continuing to beat... _Lily wasn't breathing_.


	19. Weeping Willow

"Sensei...can we wake her up?"

"...I don't know."

Jay got up and shook one of his master's shoulders. "What do you mean you don't know?! Her heart is beating! She's alive! We can do something!"

Wu looked away grimly. "I'm sorry. Perhaps her power had expended too much."

Cole left the conversation, wandering out onto the beach. He put his hands in the folds of his robe, huffing. His eyes burned with tears.

"Cole?" Zane asked. Cole turned around to face him, sniffling.

"Zane, I-I don't know what to do. I'm the leader of this team. I can't just let my comrades fall. It's my fault. I should have done something!" He sobbed. "I'M NOT GOING TO JUST LET HER DIE!"

"Cole."

"She's innocent! We never should have brought her along in the first place!"

"Cole."

"Lily was right! The prophecy can suck it! Because of it, she's pretty much BRAIN-DEAD!"

"Cole!" Zane grabbed the hand of his leader, staring into his eyes. "Look at me. Look at me, Cole!"

Cole reluctantly did as Zane asked.

"It's not your fault. None of us knew this would happen. The point is, we will find a way to bring her back to us." Zane smiled. "I sense she's not done with us yet."

Cole choked back a sob, and Zane let go of his hand. He gently hugged him. The Black Ninja let out a scream, finally breaking, holding Zane as hard as he could. "...W-what would I do without you, tin can?"

"You'd be lost." Zane said, accurately. "Now come on. We should...go see her."

Cole nodded. It seemed they all had the same idea, as a fuming Kai and an equally fuming Jay walked up to the tent with them. Lloyd was in there, sitting on the futon to the right. He smiled weakly. "H-hey guys."

"Hey, Lloyd." Jay had calmed down a bit, and waved at him. "Y'alright?"

Lloyd looked down at his broken foot and shrugged.

On the other side of the tent, Misako knelt next to somebody unmoving. It was Lily. The ninja clambered over, worry flashing across their faces. "Misako, how is she?!" Kai asked, forgetting everything Sensei just told them. Misako looked away, pulled back the covers.

"I don't know, Kai."

From a distance, Lily looked like she was just sleeping. But the closer you got, you realized the rise of fall of the sheets was not there, and no sound came from her nose or lips. On her chest, there was a pulsating circle of violet light, but that was the only indication of her being alive.

Zane put a hand to his mouth, silent. Cole knelt down and took her hand. "Lily? Come on...it's us. You know us."

She made no response.

Cole let another sob escape his mouth. "How are we gonna wake her up?"

Jay kicked the ground, showering sand onto Lily's matting. She was still unresponsive. He grimaced. "I need...I need to think. I need to think. I'll be back." He left the tent, muttering something about the Overlord to himself.

Kai just put his head in his hands. He shook his head, hoping this was some sort of bad dream. He slapped himself across the face, but the world stayed the same. Broken, offset. He felt his fists smoke.

Misako stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Kai, you should go take a break. You're setting her mattress on fire."

Kai looked down and indeed saw the ends of the futon curling, blackened from his heat.

He ended up sitting next to the tent, shaking in anger. He couldn't believe she was gone. There had to be another way. They had to wake her up. They couldn't fight the Overlord without her. Wait. How would they even get there? For a moment, the thought of swimming to Ninjago crossed his mind, but the moment Kai thought about going further than the shore, he winced and shuffled back a few inches in the sand. He'd have to find a better idea.

Lloyd came out of the tent, limping on his broken ankle. Kai sighed in relief, standing up to greet his friend. "Lloyd. You doing okay, buddy?"

Lloyd shrugged. "I mean..." He sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"Neither do I, kid." Kai admitted to him. Lloyd looked out beyond the waves, deep in thought. His leg was wrapped up in bandages, lots of blankets and sheets wrapped around his foot.

"You know..." He began. "If we end up dying on this island, I just wanna say thanks for putting up with me."

"Don't say that!" Kai yelled, grabbing Lloyd by the cheeks like you would a small child. "We are gonna find a way to get off this forsaken beach, and we're also gonna wake Lily up. Ninja, never, quit."

"Ookeh, ookeh." Lloyd said, his voice mumbled by Kai's hands squishing him. "Pweese wet guh uf meh."

Kai did, but not before giving Lloyd a look of warning. "We're not gonna back down now. Hear me, Green Ninja?"

"You've made your point! No quitting. So, any ideas?" He rubbed his leg, still sore and aching. Kai looked at his hands. He wondered if maybe the pain from being burnt by fire would be enough to wake her up...

 _NO_. That was inhumane and downright cruel. If anything, it'd be a last-resort. What was he thinking? Kai was disgusted at himself for even letting that idea in his head pop up. He'd never do that to Lily, not willingly.

Kai shrugged, left Lloyd to his own thoughts, and walked into the tent. It was...peaceful. On the futon to Kai's left was Lily, completely still. Dr. Julien was also there, listening to Lily's heart with a stethoscope he probably just made himself. His old eyes glimmered when Kai came in, and he pulled the stethoscope away from his ears. "Oh! Came to check on Lily?"

"Yeah..." Kai mumbled.

"I'm afraid nothing has really changed." He put the stethoscope back on. "Her heartbeat is amazing though. I'm gonna have to make a note of that."

 _Gosh_ , he was weird. But Kai paid little mind and instead inspected his friend's form. Lily still looked fast asleep, but the lack of breathing from her gave away the bad news. He sighed, staring at his hands. Maybe they could find a less painful way to shock her awake? Like Zane's ice, or...

Shock.

Shock her awake!

Why didn't he remember defillibrators existed until now?!

"That's it!" Kai ran out of the tent and past Lloyd, almost tripping him.

"Where are you going?!" Lloyd called after him.

"TO WHEREVER JAY IS!" Kai ran for a blue figure across the sand. Jay looked up from what he was drawing in the sand and turned around before Kai tripped and fell on the ground. Jay let out an inhuman screech.

"MY PLANS! Kai, you know we have no paper, so I was using the sand! AND YOU JUST ERASED MY PLAN TO GET US OFF THE ISLAND!"

Kai brushed off the sand from his gi. "Sorry Jay, but there are more important ideas right now." He took his hands in his. "We need your lightning!"

"For what?"

"Jay, you know how they use electricity to get people to start moving again at hospitals? You need to be that electricity!" Kai grinned.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "Kai, they do that for people who's hearts have _stopped_. Her heart is the only thing going! I might shut down her entire body." He warned Kai.

"Jay, if it doesn't work...we honestly don't have much else to lose."

The Blue Ninja opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. For once, he was dumbfounded. "That's...a terrible point, but fine. It works. Come on." They rushed back to the tent, where Zane was comforting a depressed Cole next to Lily's body. Jay activated his sword. "Move out of the way people!"

"WOAH WOAH WOAH! Jay!" Cole rushed to stand in front of her futon protectively. "We're not mercy-killing her yet!"

"I'm not-I'm not doing that. I'm gonna try and shock her body into working again." Jay pointed his sword at her. "It's all we have right now."

"That is actually not a bad idea. Was it yours?" Zane asked. Lloyd, who had returned to the tent's interior, shuffled over to the group, definitely interested.

"...It was Kai's, actually, but don't tell anyone else that."

"Hey!"

Jay motioned for everyone to move away. Zane grabbed his father by the shoulders and pulled him from harm's reach (Julien _really_ wanted to watch what Jay was gonna do). The ninja team quickly ran outside of the tent, not wanting to get caught in Jay's blast radius. Jay's sword crackled with electricity, and he raised it over the purple circle on Lily. Jay winced. "Lily...please wake up and don't be mad at me!"

He fired a burst from the sword, and the electricity disappeared into Lily's body, making her muscles move and jump. The glow from her disappeared for a moment, replaced by the crackling of energy zipping in her veins. When the purple glow returned, Jay fired another blast. "COME ON! WAKE UP! WORK, DANG IT!"

He tried this several times, and was growing impatient. The tip of his sword was almost white-hot, and lightning was actually striking the area around Lily like it was a storm cloud. Jay groaned, got to his knees, and pressed the tip over Lily's heart.

"Hey, if there's anybody listening...please let this work."

He thrust the sword into Lily's chest while activating it at the same time, a huge wave of lightning surrounding the tent. He felt his hair stand up, and wind blew around them. The sword was a bright neon blue, almost screaming from the power it was creating. Jay felt his own body get a good taste of the lightning too.

It died down as quick as it had come.

Jay lifted the sword slowly from Lily's body, panting. His own palms were burned from the raw power, his gloves completely disintegrated. At least enough watts to power 3 cities and then some.

Lily didn't move.

He threw down the sword, deactivating as it hit the sand, and yelled. He grabbed Lily's hand, not caring about the burning sensations coming from his own palms. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" He was so tired, so angry, he didn't even notice the pain slowly going away until he opened his eyes, and saw his skin was no longer noir.

Lily's hand was glowing, just a bit.

Everyone rushed inside. "Jay!" Cole sat down next to him. "We saw this huge burst of lightning, and then you screamed. A-are you alright?! JAY!"

Jay smiled big and proud. "She healed my hands." He blurted.

Everyone in the tent heard the soft exhale of a breath. Lily's purple eyes fluttered open. Silence followed as she scanned the room, and she smiled before closing her eyes again. The glowing circle on her heart was now gone, and she breathed softly.


	20. Lilac Primrose

"NO! You stay awake darn it!" Kai ran over to the bed and shook Lily roughly. She opened her eyes and yelped, batting away at Kai's hands and sat up, panting. 

"Wh..." Lily tried to say, but found herself go dumb upon seeing the crowd. Almost everyone was crying, and Jay's gloves were completely burnt off.

"You healed my hands!" Jay said, laughing and crying at the same time.

"...Eh?" Lily shook her head. "Overlord...and...uh..." She bit her lip, unsure of what was going on. She blinked and rubbed her eyes.

"How are you feeling, Lily?" Cole asked her.

She suddenly stood up, kicking away the covers. "Hungry. Very hungry. Do we have food?" She did feel very hungry, but she also felt strangely...exhilarated. "I feel fine, in fact I feel like I could benchpress 20 cows, not that I know how to benchpress, I should really learn, I don't wanna hurt myself like my uncle accidentally did one time, that was very brutal, but still," (By this time she had wandered into the middle of the room) "Food sounds great, I mean if there was a hot-dog eating contest right here I would crush it, I'd win all the gold and the hot dogs, now I want hot dogs, that sounds great, although I'd rather settle for salmon rolls, wait, this isn't the Bounty, why are we in a tent outside with no floor?"

Lily turned around just in time to be pummeled by Jay, hitting the sand. He picked her up and swung her around. "You're okay you're okay you're alive!" He said, spinning in circles.

"JAY! What is wrong with you?!"

Her questions was never answered, as Cole, Zane, and Kai came running to her for a hug and ended up dog-piling her into the sand, squeezing her hard enough she couldn't breathe.

"I thought we'd lost you!" Cole said.

"NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Kai yelled.

"It's so wonderful to have you back!" Zane laughed.

"Okay, guys, let her breathe." Lloyd walked up, limping. "Welcome back." He grinned.

Lily smiled at him as the other Ninja loosened their grip enough to let her breathe, until she noticed his foot. "Lloyd! Your foot!"

He looked down at it. "Yeah, uh...long story."

"Here, let me heal it." She tried to get up, but Jay pulled her back.

"No no no no! You've used your power enough today. We're gonna take a break, okay? Okay? Yay, great!" He chuckled. "In fact, call me crazy, but I think you could use some rest. You've overexerted yourself enough."

"What do you mean? Guys..." Lily finally came to her senses. "What happened? Hold on. Where is the Overlord? Why aren't we in the Bounty?"

Everyone slowly lost their smiles, and the ninja stepped away from Lily. She got up, dusting off sand. "Guys?"

Zane calmly explained what had happened.

Lily was quickly reduced to a sobbing mess.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" She cried. "I didn't mean to...I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

"Quit saying you're sorry, dang it!" Kai side-hugged her. "It's not your fault!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I'M THE ONE WHO DISOBEYED SENSEI!" Lily screamed.

"BUT THE OVERLORD HURT YOU!" Kai yelled back. "AND I AGREE WITH YOU ON THE PROPHECY!"

The two proceeded to get into a heated argument. Cole sighed. "How are we going to get off this island?"

"Maybe we don't need to. Evil probably already won." Jay said, looking at the sand. "I can't see how-"

"No!" Lloyd said, giving Jay a look. "We're not done. I used to be nothing but trouble, but then I met you guys. You took me in. Showed me the importance of being brave, the importance of being strong. And most importantly, being good." He shifted on his foot, making him groan in pain. "When this battle first began, when my grandfather fought the Overlord and his back was up against the wall and he knew it was all over, did he quit?" Lily and Kai had gone quiet to listen to him. "No. He found a way to keep the fight going. He passed his Elemental Powers to us. Of all people, a bunch of kids. But there must have been a reason he chose us. I'd like to think it's because he knew we'd never back down, we'd never give up. We've learned the ancient ways of the Ninja. And Ninja never quit."

Everyone had fallen silent at Lloyd's speech. Lily clenched a fist. "Lloyd's right. We've gotten this far. Jay, you even woke me up. I'm not spending the rest of my life being the way I once lived, just on an island."

The Falcon flew by her, screeching. She smiled. "Even he agrees with me!"

"No...I sense he wants to show us something." Zane got up to follow it's path of flight. "Where are you going, little friend?"

"Let's follow him then, come on!" Lily skipped a bit in place and ran after it.

Going through the jungle with no threat, completely alone...it felt wrong. So wrong. Lily couldn't even see any native creatures. But her resolve (and constant exhilaration) kept her going. Kai noticed the bird was gaining altitude as it went, so he brought the mech.

The falcon suddenly shifted gears and flew upwards, atop the mountain. Everyone clamored onto Kai's mech to ascend the mountain. Lily watched as Lloyd painfully climbed to the top. She put her hand out to him, but Jay pulled her back. "No, no powers. Remember?"

"But I wanna help him."

"But ya need to rest some. Once we find a way back to Ninjago you can work a little magic." Jay hopped onto the mech and held his hand out. Lily narrowed her eyes at him, but took it.

The falcon was perching on a rafter beside the Temple of Light.

"What are we doing back here? We already did what we had to." Kai muttered, shutting down the mech and helping everyone off.

Misako was inspecting the scroll detailing the Temple and furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought. "I don't know, Kai."

The falcon cawed and flew inside, everyone following. It landed next to a small slit in the wall, on one of the four columns.

Lily walked up to it and stared at it. "What is it? What are you trying to tell us?"

It cocked it's head at her, and began preening itself.

"Come on, falcon..." Lily prodded him with a finger and it stumbled back, screeching at her in irritation. Lily decided not touching it was a good idea. "Alright, fine. We'll do it your way."

Kai activated his sword and swatted away a spiderweb with it, the thread falling to the ground smoking. He peered at the hole, and then at his sword. "Wait guys. I have a lead!" He made sure this was the column meant for him, and then stuck his sword in the slit.

The column began to glow with a golden light.

"All right, Kai!" Jay cheered, and ran to his column. "There's one here too! Guys, do what Kai just did!" He inserted his sword.

Lily went over to her spot and found a small hole beside her symbol. She cautiously unsheathed her sword and stabbed it into the ground.

The Temple rumbled, the entire floor glowing with golden light. The decorated circle in the middle of the room began to slide away, as some big, person-shaped object was raised up into the room. Lily stepped back, worried it was a Stone Warrior.

It was not. In fact, it was actually another mech, painted gold and white. It's appearance reminded one of an old man working in rice fields, but could easily kick your butt with his walking stick. Swords lined it's back.

"It's just like the map!" Misako exclaimed. "I always wondered what this symbol was, but now it's completely clear." She grinned widely. "It is the fighting suit the First Spinjitzu Master used when he battled the Overlord."

"You mean the First Spinjitzu Master once sat here? Haha, get out of here!" Cole leapt up the golden torso, sitting comfortably in the seat. "How do you make this thing work?"

Julian noticed the rusted appearance. "Sadly...I think time has done 'er in. Only a relic now." He knocked a wrinkled hand on the foot of the machine, sighing.

"Wait. Since it worked for my father" Wu said, walking up to a lowered hand. "Then perhaps it will work for you, Lloyd. You are the next Spinjitsu Master." Wu theorized, looking at Lloyd. The Green Ninja put on a brave face and struggled to the top, Cole getting out of the seat to help him.

Lily's hands itched. Jay gave her a side-eye. She raised an eyebrow, giving him a look.

"Worth a shot!" Lloyd said, tugging one of the control sticks. He fiddled with it, squinting in confusion. "Hmm. Nothing."

Just as the words escaped his mouth, the entire mech began to overflow with golden light. It seemed to compact in on itself before standing tall, the rust and dust falling away like sand. In one of it's hands a sword revealed itself, apparently having been stored in the wrist. It stretched as far as the mech stood, golden writing etched on the blade.

Everyone gawked at the scene before them, offering compliments to Lloyd, who only grinned sheepishly. He swung the sword experimentally, trying not to hit anybody.

"How does the leg feel now?" Asked Wu, chuckling.

With flames firing from the bottom, the left leg of the machine raised up and stomped onto the ground with powerful force. Lloyd let out a hearty laugh. "Better than ever, Sensei!" The sword superheated, glowing embers flickering off the blade.

"So, do we just all hitch a ride on the mech and fly back?" Kai suggested.

"Hang on, lemme kneel down-WOAH!" Lloyd had used the wrong control, and the mech stumbled backwards. He kept his hands off the levers and buttons, his green eyes wide. "That may not be happening soon."

"I sense you won't need to." Zane said. A sound like a roar was echoing across the sky, loud enough to be heard in the Temple. Lily recognized it.

Oh no. It was back.

She swung the door open and was met with the face of a dragon, white and red scales lining it's face. She almost let out a scream before Kai rushed over and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Shush! You'll scare him!" The dragon cocked it's head and sniffed Kai, before sticking out it's forked tongue and licking his hair. It was now royally messed up, and covered in dragon spit. The Red Ninja smiled at the dragon. "Missed you too, buddy."

Three more heads tried to shuffle their way in. Cole rushed over to one of them. "Rocky! How are you buddy?"

Lily pulled Kai's hand away. "It won't bite me, right?"

"Nope." Kai pressed a hand to the red head's snout.

"...You never exactly explained how you got a four-headed dragon in the first place, much less how it's on your side." Lily eyed the yellow head, who was staring at her as if she was the most interesting thing in the world.

"It's a long story." Cole said, giving "Rocky" good scratches under the chin. "We'll explain it on the way. Now-" he smiled at her, dark green eyes mischievous. "Have you ever ridden a dragon before?"


	21. Red Spider Lily

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Attempted suicide, implied suicide, suicidal imagery
> 
> Skip to the next chapter if this is too uncomfortable for you.

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Lily yelled, four Ninja pulling her to sit on top of the dragon's back. It's four heads-Whisp, Rocky, Shard, and Flame from left to right-were staring at her intently. It didn't help. "I'M NOT RIDING THIS THING!"

"Hey! Rocky isn't a thing!" Cole said, irritated.

"It'll be a fine ride! Promise!" Kai told her.

"NO!"

"Oh my gosh, guys, let it go. She can fly with me." Lloyd held out a hand using the mech. "I've got room for two."

The Ninja looked at each other in defeat and let go of Lily, who began to slide down the dragon's back to the mech. But before she could reach what she deemed "safety", the dragon head Shard grabbed the back of her gi with it's teeth, lifting her up and away. She screamed.

"IT'S EATING ME! IT'S EATING ME!" She repeated over and over again. The other heads began to sniff her and poke her with their tongues.

"No, I think they like you. See? Told you I'd get her to ride this baby." Cole crossed his arms in triumph. The rest of the group raised an eyebrow in unison.

"HELP ME!"

"You're gonna be fine! They did the same thing with Nya once." Jay said, trying to reassure Lily.

"NO I'M NOT!"

The Ultra Dragon spread it's wings, two of the heads looked up to the sky while Shard and Rocky continued to inspect their new "friend". Wrestling with a dragon's jaw wasn't a great idea, and like Jay had said this happened before. So everybody had no choice but to leave Lily in the hands-or rather, heads, of the Ultra Dragon. Dr. Julien adjusted his glasses as he sat down. "Fascinating!"

Ultra Dragon started to flap it's wings, creating large gusts of wind with each movement. Shard leaned down to it's belly to plop Lily in an open claw, closing it tightly around her. She sat there, rather traumatized. The scales felt...soft?

To be honest, it wasn't that bad. She looked in between the talons of the dragon's hand, seeing the ground strat to grow smaller as they lifted up into the air. In no time at all the wind was whistling past her, the ocean a mass of blue and green below.

Fine, Kai was right. It was a fine ride.

The ocean was slowly replaced by specks of brown and green, then a whole landscape of sand. White clouds whisked by...but were turning grey as they flew on. Lily frowned, purple lightning dotting occasional places she recognized as towns and cities.

"What happened...?" She mumbled to herself.

Ultra went for a nosedive. They broke beneath the black blanket over her home, and emerged in a grey landscape that reminded Lily of a kaiju movie.

Only by seeing Ninjago Park did Lily realize this was Ninjago City, taken by darkness.

Ultra landed on top of several buildings that hadn't collapsed, gently freeing Lily from her tiny prison. All four heads leaned down to sniff at her, coating Lily in different temperatures of breath. She coughed, batting their noses away. Then a disturbing sound made them all look up at the same time.

It was like a horn, but...it was wrong. So wrong. Lily remembered when she was young, and her grandmother always talked about the Bible. It had said seven trumpets would sound to cue the events that would destroy the sinful world she lived in.

The comparison made Lily shiver.

"Oh my gosh..." Cole leapt down from the Dragon's back, staring in clear disturbance at the state of the city. "What did he _do_?"

"And what is that?" Kai pointed to the tallest tower in the city. It had these black spines curling up around it like stairs. Circling it was a high wall, with the entire Stone Army standing at attention within. Lily peeked over the side of the building...

And saw 3 kids playing jump rope with a noose.

She stumbled back, too frightened to say anything. Jay saw her reaction. "Hey, what's wrong? What did you see?"

Lily pointed down to the streets.

Jay walked over, holding the railing with his hands, and flinched. There were people wandering around, like zombies. Jay saw one man at the building across from him staring. Jay squinted, then realized his shoes were laying beside him.

Before Jay could yell for him to stop, the man jumped and fell 3 stories down, hitting the ground with a sickening smack. Jay turned around, not wanting to see the result, and threw up.

Kai shrieked and looked over the edge. "NO! He just...wait..."

The man's limp body was a complete mess on the ground, but his limps began to slowly snap back into place like a twisted version of Lily's power. In no time at all, he was standing up again, covered in this purple substance, and walking around with no injury. He glanced up at Kai and waved.

The Fire Ninja felt nauseous. "That man just jumped off a building...and he's walking again like nothing happened. What...?"

"The Overlord. He has messed with the balance. It includes life and death." Wu realized. "The citizens of Ninjago...they are now nothing more than walking corpses. Doing whatever the Overlord wants them to." He looked to the tallest tower. "Unless we defeat the Overlord, these people have no chance of being brought back to light."

"Lily..." Jay wiped his mouth. "Your power...can you...?"

She swallowed. "I-I can try."

They climbed down the building, not using the ladders in fear of causing too much noise. Lily pulled her hood over her head, hoping that just in case these people would attack her on sight, she'd be able to blend in.

She walked up to a woman toying with a knife. More of that purple liquid bubbled from her mouth. She looked over. Lily stayed quiet.

"Hello." Her eyes were black and emotionless. "How are you today?"

In fear of saying something wrong, Lily silently reached over and placed her hand on the woman's cheek. She suddenly shrieked, screaming bloody murder, the darkness swirling into Lily's hand again. Her muted grey skin was turning a gentle brown again, and a woman with fearful eyes now stood in front of Lily. "What's happening?" She said, dropping the knife and looking around. "Where am I?" She clutched Lily's arm, keeping it on her cheek.

"It's okay! I'm here to help." Lily said. Unlike before, with Lloyd, there was no sudden bracelet of the corruption on Lily's arm. That was strange. "Ma'am, Ninjago is in danger. I need you to find somewhere safe to hide until we fix this."

"Are you one of the Ninja? I haven't seen you before." She asked.

"I'm new to the team. Now, go!" Lily released her hand from the woman's grip, and the second she was no longer touching her skin the gray returned. Her eyes were black again. Lily gasped, reaching for her, but the woman ducked out of her way to pick up the dropped knife. "Hello." She looked at her, speaking in the monotone voice again. "How are you today?"

And with that, she stabbed herself in the stomach, walking off while humming a tune.

They really _were_ just corpses.


	22. Statice

"At least they're okay." Lloyd said slowly. "At least they're not actually dying."

"They may as well be. We're basically in a city populated by the walking dead!" Kai hissed.

"That gives us more of a reason to go stop the Overlord." Zane stated. "We have to save these people."

Cole put his fists together. "I can't wait to see the look on the Overlord's face when he gets a load of us."

Lily's input was interrupted by the horn, and a plume of black smoke shooting through the sky. The townspeople all looked up at it, mesmerized.

"Oh...my...goodness..." Jay cried.

On top of the tallest building large black wings had unfolded. They were peppered with holes and burn marks. Lily didn't see the face and body it's who they belonged to; but, she exactly didn't want to.

The citizens all prostrated themselves in the direction of the tower.

Lily fumbled for her sword. Now that they were on the Battlefield, Lily was going to use her powers like there was no tomorrow. Mostly because...there may not be.

Dr. Julien tapped her shoulder. "I uh, may have something for you." He held out something sharp wrapped in cloth. "Your power protects you well, but just in case you do need a break, these should be handy."

Lily unwrapped the cloth and was greeted by the same pair of sickles she had seen in the weapons room of the Bounty. They had the same engravings, and the same decorated sheaths. Lily took them carefully, wrapping the sheaths to her belt and slipping the sickles in them. "Thank you, Dr. Julien. How did you get them?"

"They were one of the few things that survived the Bounty's sacrifice." He explained. "They were too beautiful just to leave in the sand. I also added a little something to them." He smiled at the ninja. "Now, go make good use of them."

Zane smiled warmly at his father. "Stay safe." He pulled up his hood over his pale face. "We will return."

A sudden explosion wracked the street in front of them, a dark puddle now oozing and pulsing where it hit.

"Is that the look you were hoping for, Cole?" Zane asked him, trying to cheer up the team.

"Zane. _No_." Jay scolded him.

"Okay, first step-how do we get up there? We can't fly." Cole pointed to the top of the building, where some creature was awakening from a long sleep.

"We have to draw their fire. Distract the army, so Lloyd can get up there." Wu instructed them.

Lily nodded in understanding. "It's a long way to the fortress, though. Is there a faster way we can get there?" Lily glanced up at the dragon. Cole smirked next to her.

Oh no.

...

Lily gripped the scales of the Ultra Dragon, trying to keep back tears. This was terrifying. She didn't like it. No. The dragon may be soft and warm, but still. She didn't like the speed they were going at or the beast she was riding on. Each Ninja was being held by one of Ultra's claws, save for Cole. He and Wu were piloting the dragon.

"Hold on!" Wu said, piloting the dragon with the grip. There was no way they'd be able to get in the fortress by breaking through, so the idea was to go up and over. The Army was ready for them, flaming saw blades and all, but Cole (being the tactician he is) was one step further.

"NOW!" He yelled.

On cue, Ultra swooped down low enough to miss the blades whizzing by. The ninja let go of the dragon and landed harmlessly in the middle of a couple Stone Warriors. They stared at them in shock. Ultra grazed the tower and did a 180, Cole jumping off the dragon as they did so, and shot back across the city and out of the firefight. He used his sword to create a hill to slide down on.

"BEQUEAAAAAAATH!" One Warrior yelled.

He was promptly stomped on by the foot of Lloyd's new mech, which had climbed over the fortress walls. He glided his blade in a circle around him. "NINJA GO!" Lloyd roared, a fight blazing inside his heart.

Lily pulled out her sickles. "Let's see what these babies can do." She muttered. Lily had no clue how to use them, but as far as she was aware they function similarly to small swords? So she was going to treat them as such. Even if it was a bit unorthodox.

If she ended up getting herself, well, she had healing powers.

Her fingers gripping the handles, Lily felt her thumb brush up against a button that surely wasn't there before. Julien's surprise, it seemed. She pointed one at a Warrior and pressed it.

The blade suddenly shot out, a chain connecting it to the handle, and whacked the Warrior in the face. It came back with a loud pang, making Lily's hands vibrate from the force.

"YES!" She smiled at the weapons. "COME AT ME YOU-"

A sudden blast of purple went over her head, hitting Lloyd's mech. It may have been turned on, but time had weathered it's ability. The weaponized arm flew off, and the mech fell backwards to the ground. Lloyd scrambled out of the cockpit, dodging swings from enemy weapons.

"Lloyd!" Lily yelled, turning. "You alright?"

"I'm fine. The mech isn't!" Lloyd tried to stand, but winced. "Ow."

"Hang on!" Lily went to stand in front of him, putting away her sickles and activating her sword. "Get back! All of you!"

She was joined by the others, who had fought their way over. Kai seethed with anger. "NOBODY DOES THAT TO MY FRIENDS AND GETS AWAY WITH IT! NOBODY!"

"What if that nobody was your sister...?" Jay pointed up at a cannon mounted on the building. She could hear familiar laughter coming from the pilot. Kai growled, rolling his shoulder. Nya fired another shot. Her brother was just as fast, a plume of fire illuminating the sky. Both elements collided, burning Lily's retinas.

”That’s what happens.” Kai said.

Zane brought up a wall of ice to protect them from any more hits. Lily could see the splotches of darkness through the mass of frozen water. She kept slicing her enemies apart, cutting through them like paper. She was getting so tired.

"I know we've always drawn a crowd, but this is ridiculous." Jay quipped.

"How can you be making jokes at a time like this?" Kai yelled at him.

"Hey, if I'm going down, might as well go down laughing." The Lightning Ninja blasted several mooks apart.

"If this is how we're going to go down," Zane dodged an arrow. "I'm proud to be fighting alongside my brothers."

"Hear, hear."

"This isn't how I expected my life to end." Lily said quietly. Through all the chaos, she hadn't expected anybody to hear her. "I never thought I'd become somebody like this."

"But you are." Zane told her.

Lily blushed under her hood. Her arm hurt. "I'm so tired..."

"Keep it up!" Lloyd stood, firing blasts at the warriors behind them all.

Lily panted. _Was this how things ended? Really, truly?_

For just a moment she let her arm fall down to rest, and missed blocking a strike from stone warrior.

Her life seemed to flash before her eyes.

6 months after her brother Alder's death, Lily's mother Anastasia died of a heart attack. If there was anybody holding back on her father Lyle's true rage against Amaryllis, it was Anastasia. Now that she was gone...Lily was abused to no end. Lyle often drank. He never laid a hand on her, but compared to his words? Lily would have preferred he broke her face every day.

Her grandmother, Lyle's mom, was the only solace she had. Emily Gabel was a hardworking woman with a heart of gold. She hated what her son had become, and more than often allowed Lily to stay at her house when Lyle was being unusually cruel (which happened a lot). She was old, though, and died at the age of 86. But Emily had one last gift; she left a will bequeathing all of her things to Lily. 

Lyle was enraged by this decision, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Legally, her grandmother's pile of rather lavish savings now belonged to her. He watched as his daughter Lily just stared at the will in shock, marked by a signature that she knew was her grandmother's. Smoke was practically coming out of his ears, rage barely held back. With this money, Lily could buy a house 3 times.

So, she did. She found a nice apartment on the market, bought it, and was standing by the door with suitcases and packages being loaded into a truck. She was 16. Her father stood behind her. His eyes...they hated her so much. 

"Go." Was all he managed to say.

Lily wasted no time shutting the door behind her. Her father may now finally be out of her sight, but by no means was he out of her life. His impact on her, making her think she was useless...it would stay true to her for a long time. She had no job, she didn't go to school...she read her grandmother's books on flower language. That was it. She wasn't useful for anything else.

At least, until she met the Ninja.

She finally had a place in the world. She had a gift. She was needed, and there were people willing to sacrifice their lives for her. A house going down was a small price to pay. Every day, she found herself thanking God. She finally understood all the pain. It made her stronger.

And now...

She was staring at a stone warrior, who was completely still. The sword was mere centimeters from her face, but it didn't move. Lily got up slowly, preparing to strike him, when he suddenly turned away-as did at the others.

The Ninja looked at each other in confusion. The heck?

"ALL HAIL-" The General Kozu stood up, "THE BROWN NINJA!" He raised his swords in the direction of the Ultra Dragon, who had a rather...er, large figure standing triumphantly on them.

 _He looks kinda familiar...wait, hang on! He was that guy from the docks!_ Lily's jaw flew open as the entire Stone Army pledged their allegiance; to that guy.

He threw up his hands in an inviting gesture, potbelly still jiggling. "What's up fellas?" The dragon landed, and the Brown Ninja slid ungracefully onto the ground.

"Dareth?" Jay asked. "How...?"

"The helmet controls the army!" Cole said, snapping his fingers. "Dareth, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you are a genius!"

"Thank you. Now, it seems your are in need of assistance! Just tell me what I need to do, and I can do it!" He smiled at them.

Lloyd grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Tell them to storm the keep." Lloyd pointed at the top of the tower. "I need to get to the top of the fortress." He sighed, staring at his foot. "I can't get up there myself, so I'm gonna need everyone's help. So, Dareth...aw, what the heck, you're our Brown Ninja!"

His face lit up like it was the fourth of July. "YES! Your wish is my command!" Dareth said, turning to his new army. "About face!"

The Stone Warriors did as he said.

"Now, you heard the Golden Boy! NINJA GO!"

The army began it's march on their former masters and Lily felt Cole gently close her mouth. She shook her head from side to side. "What just...happened?"

"Never mind that." Lloyd stared at the broken mech behind him, then his leg. "Uh. Remember what I said about help?" He laughed nervously.

"We gotcha, buddy." Jay slipped his arm under Lloyd's. "Let's go save Ninjago!"

"Yeah!" Cole joined him and Lloyd.

And lo, the ninja began their climb.


	23. Balloon Flower

It was peaceful, at first. The Warriors were keeping Nya busy, so there was nobody attacking them or any of that. Lloyd limped along, slowly getting up the steps. "Gah. I can't stop thinking about it."

"Then think of something else." Zane suggested.

"I can't, that's the problem!"

Lily watched the sky above them, swirling with grey. There was a chance they may not win. If that was the case...then she may as well tell them everything.

"Guys, just in case we don't come out of this alive-"

"Which we will!" Jay quickly said.

"-I feel as though I should tell you guys...everything. You deserve it, after all we've been through, and what we're about to do." She sighed. "The reason I was such a wimp, the reason why I didn't think I deserved my power..."

She slowly started to tell them about her sad, lonely life. She told them about her brother, about the fire, her father, mother, her way of life. They listened, offering sincere comments, before Lily finally finished her story.

"I...can't believe the happened. Lily, I am so sorry." Kai said, offering her his hand.

"It's okay. I'm stronger because of it. And we're gonna beat this thing." She gave Lloyd a soft smile.

He smiled back. "Yeah. We will. It'll be cake."

"Cake?" Cole perked up.

"Sorry for starting a pity party this close to doom." Lily looked down.

"It's fine. I woulda done the same thing." Jay said. "Really. In fact, I'll-" He suddenly gasped and tugged Lloyd to the side. Cole looked at him in confusion...and was hit by a blot of darkness.

"COLE!" Lily screamed.

His eyes were blackened, and his skin was turning the color of ash. Cole looked at Lloyd and frowned.

"You need to be taken care of." He said, in a voice that was equally his and not his. Then he blinked, his normal eyes returning for a moment. "GO! I'll be fine, just defeat him! Kill the Overlord!" He got onto his hands and knees, shaking.

"Wait, I can-"

Cole snapped at her, almost taking her fingers off. Lily grabbed ahold of Jay's army and pulled him along. "We need to go!"

"But-“ Zane said.

"There's not enough time! I'm sorry! But we can still save him if we go now!"

The Ninja, now reduced to five, limped up the stairs. Another one of those disturbing horn sounds echoed, and a plume of darkness came down upon Lloyd. Jay threw him aside, taking the hit.

Lily threw her arm over Lloyd's own and started helping him up the steps. "We're almost there! Come on!"

"Come baaaaack!" Jay yelled. "I don't wanna die without your corpse next to mine..."

From the corner of her eye, Lily saw what looked like a feral Cole clawing his way up the steps. Zane stopped walking. "Go!"

"Zane, why aren't you coming?" Kai asked him.

"I'm going to hold them off! NOW GO!" Jay leapt at the nindroid, screaming violently. Lily turned Lloyd away so he didn't have to see it. He didn't need any more images in his mind before the Battle. Just as they turned a corner, Nya greeted them in her mounted cannon. 

"Guess she finally got through all of them." Kai murmured. "You two go! I'll draw her fire!"

"Kai, no!" Lloyd begged him. "I've already lost half of my team!"

"I'll be okay. Just save the world, darn it!" He let go of Lloyd and swatted away a blast of hers with his sword. But he missed the second one, and it hit him point-blank.

"KAI!" Lily cried out. "Lloyd...come on."

Nya kept firing, and Lily pushed Lloyd up the stairs. He turned, his eyes widening. "NO! LILY!" She felt the mass of evil hit her back...and felt the swirling of darkness wrapping itself in rings around her arm, just like when she healed Lloyd.

She was immune to corruption.

Kai started to shiver and growl, unfeeling eyes staring at her. He lunged foreword and grabbed her leg. "Don't go! We aren't finished!" He screeched. She kicked him away, pointing her blade at him.

"Go, Lloyd!"

"I'm not leaving you too-" He started to say.

"Lloyd!" Lily turned around. "My duty is to protect you! So that is what I am doing. I can't be corrupted, you saw. I'm going to make sure they don't lay a finger on you!" She looked at him, tears in his emerald eyes. "Please. Win, okay?"

Lloyd had a stream of different emotions run through his face, then he turned and crawled up the stairs.

Lily tried to read their souls. All she got was hate and lust. Kai continued to bite and claw at her feet. "LET ME KILL YOU!"

"Kai, stop! This isn't you!"

"FALL!"

Three more figures appeared around the corner. Zane, Cole, and Jay had their swords out. "Lily." They all said. "Die."

"Fight it!" She yelled, grabbing Kai and holding his arms down at his sides. He struggled, wailing.

"WE TOOK YOU IN! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET US DO THIS ONE-"

"Shut _up_ , Kai!" She pushed him off of her, making him bump into the others, and they all tumbled down the steps. Lily pointed her sword at them. "I don't wanna hurt you."

"But I do." Jay said, and moved with lightning speed. He hit her in the jaw and restrained her. "Zane! I got her!"

"Thank you." Zane let his blade drag across the steps, bumping along as he walked up. "You've been rather bad."

"Zane! I know this isn't you! Wake up!" Lily hated herself for doing this. She swung her legs up, grabbing Zane by the neck. This changed Jay's grip on her so that she could slip out. Lily and Zane fell down the steps again, stopped just before the drop into the abyss. Lily spat out blood.

She was still just as tired as before.

Cole leapt on top of her. "You need to be punished!" He sneered. Lily tried to get out of his hold, but it was like having stone wrapped around your body. He finally got off of her so Zane could drag her up to a wall. He activated his sword and dug it into her hand. Lily let out a scream.

"Jay, your sword?" Zane held his hand out.

"Don't bother. It's my pleasure." Jay took her other hand and secured it to the wall with the blade. Lily wanted to fight, but honestly? She could barely breathe. Or maybe it was because she was basically crucified against the wall. She didn't know. She watched as Cole and Kai stabbed her legs with their swords.

Their eyes were not their own. In the black swirls of their sclera, only hate reigned. They were no longer the Ninja she knew and loved.

"This will hurt." Kai said, and he dug his hand under her rib. She just winced. Kai frowned. "Barely got a reaction. That sucks."

"She was always a terrible ninja. I didn't expect much else." Cole crossed his arms.

"Let's just slit her throat." Jay suggested. "Then she can choke on her own blood!"

"Too quick of a death, Jay. We want to make her suffer." Zane lifted Lily's head up with his fingers. "Oh...she's tired."

"Zane..." Lily mumbled.

"Let's wake her up." Zane covered his hand in ice and pressed it to her neck. Lily felt the area go numb, and it BURNED. She couldn't even feel the blood move in her veins.

"That did nothing." Kai growled. "Let me. I've been wanting to do this since the island." He dragged a smoking finger across her lips. Lily just stared at him, not even feeling her mouth start to bleed. "Still nothing?!"

"This is no fun. Let's just kill her and go find Lloyd." Cole cracked his knuckles. "Oh, I hate you so much."

"No...you...don..." Lily squeaked.

"Aha! She said something!" Jay smiled. "Speak up? I can't hear your cries of pain."

Lily sighed. "Tired..."

Jay's smile melted away. "Oh, just complaining."

"No."

Jay raised an eyebrow.

Lily saw their eyes, their faces...sure, they were being controlled by another force and acting like psychos, but underneath it was still them. They were in there somewhere! Lily could easily break free, but she didn't want to hurt them. No. She'd find a better way to fight them. She remembered the adventure, how much they cared about her. Their tears when she awoke, her tears as they comforted her. They loved her like she had always been one of them.

And now, she loved them just as much.

She mumbled something.

"I can't hear her." Kai groaned.

"Iluayu..."

All four cocked their heads to one side.

"I...love..." She coughed. "I love you."

"What." Jay said.

"I love you." Lily repeated.

Zane chuckled. "Cute."

He activated his blade's power, making dry ice flow into her veins and down her arm, freezing it to the wall. Lily winced. "I...love you."

Jay sighed in annoyance, and made his sword strangle her with bolts of electricity. Her heart didn't feel like it was beating right. Lily swallowed. "I love you."

Cole made a guttural growl, as sharp gemstones broke free from her skin, and her bones cracked and fractured. Lily took it. "I love you!"

Kai yelled and set her entire lower half on fire. Lily groaned. "I LOVE YOU!"

"Will you stop with that?" Cole slapped her face. "News flash! Nobody cares!"

"I love you." Lily told him. "I love you, and you, and you. I love-"

Jay removed his blade from her hand and slit her throat.

The other three followed, freeing her from the wall and began to torture her, not caring wether she'd live through it or not. At some point, Nya joined them. Lily couldn't see, or hear, or even feel the pain. She just kept softly repeating "I love you" over and over again. She forgave them for this, because they weren't the ones doing this...it was that devil on top of the tower.

_Hey, God?_

Her shoulder was dislocated and her arm torn off.

_Thank you, for helping me be strong._

Her belly was emptied.

_I've been through so much, and I've found wonderful people._

She could no longer breathe.

_If I die, that's alright. I just want this one thing..._

Her heart stopped beating, and was torn out.

_Let Lloyd win. Let my loved ones, my team, live happy lives._

She felt her mind go blank, and wind whistling past her.

_Let Ninjago live._

And at that moment, Lloyd Garmadon defeated the Overlord.


	24. Red Rosebud

Kai opened his eyes. The bright, summer sun greeted him. He was lying on a dirt ground, where the tallest building in Ninjago's foundations once laid. He sat up. "Oh my gosh. We won, we won!" Then he turned, and saw his sister. She wasn't greyed out anymore. In fact, she looked healthier!

"Nya!" Kai and Jay yelled, and rushed to the bewildered girl. She slowly hugged them back anyway.

"Guys? What happened?"

"We won! WE WON THE BATTLE!" Jay screeched in her ear.

Now Nya was too happy to care about that. "We did? I-You're right! We're in Ninjago! And it's so sunny! WHOO-HOO!" She picked up both of them and swung them around, laughing.

Cole helped Zane up, smiling the biggest smile he ever smiled. "Come here, you tin can." Cole hugged Zane tightly, almost denting him.

Zane just laughed. "Brother!"

"Friend!"

"Partner!"

"Lover!" Cole exclaimed. What he received was a rather confused look from Zane. He coughed. "Sorry, just got a little, uh, excited...ahem."

A figure made of golden light and sheer will descended upon a dragon.

"Lloyd!" The ninja all rushed to the Golden Ninja, embracing him.

"You were brilliant, son." Misako hugged him the moment his feet touched the ground. "I am so...so...proud."

"Because of you, Ninjago was saved. Because of you, there will be a tomorrow." Wu said, smiling.

Lloyd smiled at them. Then he blinked, and did a count of the people around him. "Wait...where's Lily?"

There was an uncomfortable period of silence that went by.

Jay blinked, as if he was remembering something, and then, let out a prolonged scream.

"What?" Dareth went over to the Blue Ninja. "Jay, man, what's wrong?"

"LOOK FOR HER! LOOK FOR HER BODY!" He yelled. The other three now looked incredibly disturbed, and their eyes were wet. Cole was muttering things like “this can’t be happening” to himself. Kai’s face was overflowing with tears. Zane was in absolute shock.

Nya laid a hand on his shoulder. "Kai? Kai, what's wrong? What happened up...there..." She went quiet, and sob escaped her mouth. "The mounted cannon! L-look for it's remains!" Zane and Cole did as she asked. 

Lloyd was very freaked out. "Guys? What's wrong? What happened? Where is Lily?!"

Jay began to wail, falling to the ground. By this point, Cole had sliced through a rock trying to clear the debris to find Lily. "LILY! Where-" He interrupted himself with a cry of sorrow. "NO! NO!"

Lloyd ran over to him, Kai weakly attempting to pull him back. "Cole? Cole?! What's..." He saw what Cole had found. Beside the parts of Nya's broken cannon.

It was a corpse. Lily's corpse.

Cole and the others were now sobbing wrecks, weeping apologies as Wu tried to get them to calm down. Misako pulled Lily out from the rubble and tried wake her up. Dr. Julien handed Jay's sword to him, asking if he could do what he did last time, but the Blue Ninja grabbed it and threw it all the way to the other side of the dirt they were standing in. Lloyd was in shock, and very, very confused.

"Zane, calm down. You need to tell me what happened." Wu asked his student. Zane just blabbered something unintelligible and broke down crying.

Lloyd looked at Lily's corpse. This happened before, they would just...restart her heart, right? But her lavender eyes were open, and her body was bloody. There were so many cuts and gashes and bruises Lloyd lost count of them. He knelt beside her. There was also no glowing circle on her like before. "Lily?"

She was unresponsive.

"Lily? Lily, we just went through this, wake up." Lloyd shook her. "I won. I defeated the Overlord. Wake up!" He began to cry. "Wake up! PLEASE!"

There was so much chaos, so much crying. Even Dareth was in tears. Zane was finally starting to explain to Wu what had happened. As he spoke, each Ninja took their blade out and threw it on the ground, not wanting it to be in their sight. Lloyd listened.

"So, she...had to...fight us. She ref-fused to do anything that would hurt us. So we...we used our swords...pinned her to the wall with them...and..." Zane's voice cracked. "I'm so sorry...I didn't want to. I DIDN'T WANT TO!"

Wu hugged him. "What happened next, Zane?"

"I t-touched her with dry ice. On her neck. Jay wanted to slit her throat, but I-I said I wanted her to s-s-suffer first."

Lloyd had to take a moment to comprehend what he just heard. As Zane went on, saying Kai burned her lips, or Cole made rocks grow from her leg, Lloyd realized they corresponded with the injuries she had. There were burn marks on her face, and her legs were just...lumps of flesh. Her arm...oh no. Her arm wasn't fully connected to her-

Lloyd dry heaved. Zane kept going. "I ripped open her chest and I saw her heart, and I t..." His eyes flickered open and shut, and he fainted.

"Zane!" Dr. Julien rushed over to his son. "Zane, come on, it's okay...daddy's here now. You're safe."

Jay’s voice cracked as he spoke. "I WANTED HER DEAD! I KEPT TELLING MYSELF TO STOP BUT I SAID I WANTED HER DEAD! I TORE HER ARM OFF!" Cole sobbed even louder when he heard this. Kai was on the ground in a ball, and kept mumbling "lungs" to himself.

Lloyd grasped Lily's hand. The Overlord did this, he knew. How could he? His friends were probably scarred for life. They had been forced to kill their newest member, somebody that they all loved so very much.

"SHE KEPT SAYING SHE LOVED US! SHE KEPT SAYING IT EVEN WHEN WE...EVEN WHEN WE KILLED HER! THAT WAS THE LAST THING SHE SAID! THEN HER BODY WAS TOSSED OFF THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING!" Jay finished Zane's tale, bawling. "I'm a monster!"

Nya had been quiet all this time, and she finally said something. "I was the one who dropped her off the edge of the building." Then she passed out as well.

At this moment, Lloyd couldn't find the strength to sit up by himself. The Ultimate Spinjitsu Master supported his weight on Lily, crying. How could this have happened? After everything they had been through. She finally found her courage, her family, and a will to live. And she dies? He sobbed, her dry blood on his fingers. He curled up against her, his lips just barely brushing against her cheek, tears continuing to drop on her face.

Lily suddenly gripped Lloyd's hand.

He stopped crying, and sat up. He said nothing, just staring at her. The others saw her awake, and had the same reaction.

Lily smiled. "I forgive you. It wasn't your fault." She said. Her healthy voice didn't match her appearance. "You all are so wonderful. Do me a favor and don't beat yourselves up. Please. I'm okay. We got though this. We won." She sighed, and looked longingly at the shocked Ninja. "I'm going to rest a little now. I'll be awake, don't worry. I'm just healing. I need time." She closed her eyes. "I love all of you. I’ll see you soon." And she went quiet.

The glowing lavender circle reappeared on her chest.

"Lloyd?" Somebody said. The Golden Ninja turned around and saw the eyes of his father.

...

Wu bought Darkly's School, and reinstated it to teach new generations of fighters. He gave the Ninja a good, long time to recover from their battle. What they mostly did was sit in a room and embrace each other, appreciating the fact they were all still alive.

Lily was dressed and placed in a room of her own. What was happening, and also what happened last time on the island, was that Lily had gone into a hibernation via her element in order to heal. When Jay used his sword on her before, it sped up the process. Each day the Ninja came in to spend some time with her, even if she couldn't answer any of their questions. As the days passed, her wounds slowly healed into her familiar lavender scars.

Kai was gone one day. He had found the address of Lily's father, Lyle, and gone to have a little chat with him. He had ended up punching him in the face, but it went no further. Based on Lily's story, he managed to get the police to do an investigation. Lyle was arrested for child abuse, among other things.

Dr. Julien was old, and the Final Battle experience had taken a toll on his body. He was admitted to a hospital, where Zane visited him every day. He died, around the age of 120. Zane was at peace with this, and quietly disabled his memory switch function with Jay and Nya's help. Julien had also left Zane a final message, hidden behind puzzles he knew only he could solve.

The school opened, and the Ninja happily taught the children of Ninjago. It was hard, definitely, but they were happy just to do something.

The Ultra Dragon returned home to the Realm of Dragons, and Lloyd continued his journey around the country of Ninjago. Of course, he stopped by once a week to check on Lily. And naturally, he went to go see his father twice a day.

Cyrus Borg founded Borg Industries. Jay, being a total fan of his, wrote him a letter asking if he could safeguard their elemental blades. After what happened on the tower, none of the Ninja even wanted to see them. Borg replied, saying he would be happy to, and they are currently in his collection of oddities.

It had been almost a year since Lily had gone into her sleep. The ninja were growing tired of being teachers. The students _always_ asked about Lily, or the Ultra Dragon. And applications for the teaching jobs were coming in like molasses.

Kai sat by Lily's bed, where she still laid. "I think I'm addicted to caffeine. When you wake up, I'll treat you to a nice cup of coffee. And maybe a cake. Dunno, Cole'll probably eat it. The point is, we miss you so much. I hope you're sleeping well." He smiled at her. She looked beautiful, even in her coma-like sleep.

Lily moved a bit and smiled back.

This had happened before. Her hibernation was akin to a fetus growing in the mother's womb (made sense, considering her element). As she got closer to recovery, Lily could hear more of the world around her and react. The first time this happened Jay woke up the all of Ninjago screaming that she was finally awake...only to find she was just going through REM sleep.

But this time, Lily opened her eyes.

Kai called for the others as the glowing circle on her heart slowly spun to a halt, and faded away. Everyone was inside the room crowding around, as Lily yawned and sat up. She looked brand new. The Violet Ninja looked over and smiled.

"Good morning, sleepyheads." She quipped.

Jay was on her shoulder crying. She laughed and patted his back, while everyone else sobbed and muttered to one another with excitement. "I had this dream...I was talking with my grandmother, Yuri."

Wu's interest was definitely perked. "Yuri? You spoke with her?"

"Yeah. She told me a lot of things, most of which I don't remember. But she said I could do so many cool things."

Kai chuckled. "I'm just happy you're awake."

Lily looked at him and frowned. "You guys okay?"

The ninja and samurai looked at one another. A message passed between all of them silently. They stood in front of Lily’s bed, sitting down on their knees.

”I know it wasn’t our fault.” Kai said. “But still...it doesn’t feel right not to say or do anything about it.”

”I cannot express how sorry I am for our actions towards you.” Zane said.

”And I know you don’t want us to do this.” Jay said.

Lily stared at them sadly. “Guys...”

They bowed down before her. “Please forgive us.” They said in unison. And waited for an answer.

”I already have.” Lily said. “You don’t have to do this. You were being controlled by somebody else. It was not your fault. I forgive you.” They slowly stood up, unsure if her words were true. Nya looked at her, sighing deeply. They were quiet, worried they might say the wrong thing.

Finally, Cole said, “Thank you. S-so much.” The others nodded in agreement, soft murmurs of thanks. Lily gave them her truest, most genuine smile. A few more seconds of silence passed between the six of them. They began to smile back.

"Uh, did Yuri ask about me?" Wu broke the quiet.

She gave him a look. "Wu? Really?" She blushed violently.

"Come on, let's get you out of bed. You've been in there for 3 months." Nya walked forward and held her hand out. Lily took it and stumbled, the samurai catching her.

"It's been that long?"

"A lot has happened. We have a few surprises for you."

"My time has come!" Cole shouted, and ran out of the room. After a few minutes, he yelled "READY!" Nya led Lily to, well, wherever he went. It was a rather dark room.

Zane smiled and turned on the lights.

Cole was standing in front of a large cake, and there were decorations all around. A ton of the students from the school were also there, and they waved. "SURPRISE!" They all said.

Lily felt tears running down her cheeks, and subsequently broke down crying. Nya laughed. "You are such a crybaby."

"I can't help it!" She sobbed.

The door slammed open, and Lloyd was there. He was panting, as if he'd ran all the way here. He scanned the room and saw Lily, making him beam. "You're really awake?"

Lily looked down at herself. "I...think so?"

Lloyd laughed it off and gave her a huge hug. "I missed you. I visited every week! Oh, and there's somebody I want to you meet!" He turned to the doorway, motioning for somebody to come in.

An elderly man stepped inside. He was about the same age as Misako, and was wearing plain green robes. His hair was similar to Lloyd's, although it was grey. His eyes...although they were now a simple green, Lily knew him instantly.

"Garmadon?" Lily asked breathlessly.

The old man looked down. "I...am so sorry, for what I did to you. All of you." Lily stayed quiet, and he continued. "I was acting under the influence of my darkest desires. I cannot express my disgust for my actions. Please..." He knelt on the floor, prostrating himself before the Ninja. "Forgive me."

The students whispered and pointed at him, earning sharp looks from Cole. The Ice Ninja stepped forward and helped him sit up. "It's alright. It's all in the past. I...know how you feel."

Garmadon smiled warmly at him. "It's so good to meet you. The way I should have, at least."

The little celebration went by without a hitch. Lily was told everything she had missed. She wasn't surprised about the fact the elemental blades had been taken away (hers too, but she didn't care), and the magical kimonos stopped fixing themselves. Kai hesitantly told her about Lyle. Lily wasn't sure how to react, but she thanked Kai for giving her father what he deserved.

The students crowded around Lily, asking her questions and making the poor girl claustrophobic.

In a corner of the room, where Garmadon was serving himself some punch, he smiled at Lloyd. "So, that Lily girl. She's quite a keeper."

Lloyd blushed madly. "D-dad!" Garmadon let out a belly laugh, not a trace of evil lining it.

As the students returned home for the day and everyone cleaned up, Lily was approached by Wu. "Amaryllis." He said. "I understand if you do not wish to be a ninja. You have every right to return to Ninjago City and live your life out as you once did, if you so want."

For a moment, Lily remembered the way she had once lived in that apartment. She already had her answer. "No way, sensei."

Wu raised his eyebrows in interest. Everyone else looked over at the two.

Lily clinched a fist triumphantly. "I wanna train to be a ninja." She stood up a little taller. "I wanna learn spinjitsu."

"Your training begins tomorrow." Wu said, and left the room. The others wasted no time expressing their excitement for her choice to stay with them, happily congratulating their new member. Lily felt so, happy, so complete. Even if she couldn't breathe from the amount of hugs she received.

(Gosh, these ninja were touchy-feely.)

The team quietly checked off for the night. The ninja went to their boarding rooms, and Nya helped Lily move into hers. She bid Lloyd a good night, and thanked Garmadon for coming to the party. The two left, moving like a golden star shining in the bright sky.

The Master of Soul slept soundly that night, but she didn't sleep for long. She woke around 5:30, and shuffled away to the kitchen to get something to drink.

Kai was there, only his back half visible as he stuffed half his body inside the fridge to search for something.

Lily shrieked, and Kai shrieked back. He almost dropped the chocolate syrup he was holding, and fumbled for it. Putting a hand on her chest, Lily let out a sigh. "I can see why you're called a ninja."

"Couldn't sleep?" He shut the door to the fridge.

"I slept for a year, Kai. I feel rather well rested." She noticed the empty mug of coffee on the counter. "Making a mocha?"

"You know the trick too, huh?" Kai asked her, pouring a nice dose of the syrup into the mug before setting it under the coffee machine's nozzle.

"Yeah. My mother taught me when I was little." She peered at the cupboard. "May I join you? I think you did promise me you'd drink some caffeine with me."

"Oh, yeah, I did. Help yourself."

The Red and Violet Ninja sat outside on the balcony, watching the sun rise with their hot drinks cooling. Kai ran fingers through his messy hair. "This has been a lot."

"Mmm-hmm." Lily sipped her coffee. "Are you technically my teacher now?"

He laughed. "I guess so." He rubbed an eye, and Lily saw the faint remains of a scar on his face. Kai noticed her staring. "What?"

"You have a scar on your eye."

"Oh! Yeah." Kai shrugged. "It was from a sword. I was playing with one, and it...uh, went the wrong direction."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, but I'm fine." He smiled, a twinkle in his eye.

They continued to watch the sun melt the night sky with it's rays. Lily swirled her cup a bit, the coffee making a tiny whirlpool. "Hey. I just wanted to say, thank you. For everything."

Kai was a bit taken aback. "I-it was no problem. Uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "To be honest, you looked like a sad little puppy she you first arrived. How could we not take care of you?"

"I looked like a what?!"

She playfully smacked him on the shoulder, Kai letting himself fall into a fit of laughter.


	25. Rhododendron

It had been 5 months since Lily awoke.

"Come on, you got this!"

Lily dodged a punch from Cole, and attempted to subdue him by kicking his feet out from under him. but Cole was ready for this, did a split, and punched Lily in a stomach. She lost her breath and fell backwards, heaving. "I surrender...I surrender..."

"Fail!" Kai yelled. "Nice trick there, though."

Cole helped Lily up. Dressed in black shorts and a lavender sports tee, Lily felt drenched in her own sweat. Bruises were everywhere on her body from her months of training. She felt callouses starting to grow on her hands, but it still hurt to pick most things up. Cole handed her a towel. "Y'good?"

"You try getting punched in the belly by the master of Earth." Lily replied, earning a small laugh from her teacher. He, like the rest of her teachers, was wearing sweatpants and a color-coded tank top. ...Yeah, let's just say the red on Lily's face wasn't all because of her workout.

Nya's phone buzzed, and she picked it up to check the time. "Alright, the students are arriving in an hour. Time to pack up.

"Right. School." Lily groaned, wiping her face with a towel. Much to her chagrin, Lily could only be trained early in the mornings or until school let out. For most of the day she was a teacher's assistant, transporting items to rooms and such. Wu considered this a good part of her training. "Patience is a virtue", blah blah blah. 

(She hated how right he was.)

But the training almost always went well. Lily expected the boys to be too tired to train her, but they were more than happy to actually put their Ninja skills to use. Having lost her sword, Lily chose to train with her sickles. Kai and Zane helped her with using them either melee or ranged. Cole did close-combat, and Jay tried to teach her spinjitsu, since he been the first to do it himself. Nya worked with Lily's general health.

Lily took a quick shower and changed into her normal wear, a purple button-up and denim jeans. She retied her hair, setting it neatly into a bun. As the break for the afternoon finally came along, Lily sat with the others, the weary teachers trying to find their lunches. She never dared to try and train with them at this time, they looked too worn out.

"All right! Who took my pudding cup?" Jay yelled, slamming the fridge closed. "My name was clearly written on it."

"I didn't see 'Motor Mouth' written on it." Said Cole, finishing the stolen pudding and tossing it into a bin.

"I'm telling the headmaster-"

"Leave me out of it." Wu said from the next room. "I'm on break too."

Kai dug in his bag. "Relax, Jay, you can have mine." He tossed a brand-new one to Jay, who caught it eagerly, before realizing it was warm.

He sighed in annoyance. Zane noticed the trouble and put his hand over the pudding, cold air streaming from his fingers. Jay broke into a grin. "Oh, gimme." He began to stuff it's now-chilly contents into his mouth. "Is anyone else chapped that Lloyd gets to be the Golden Ninja and fly around accepting awards while we're stuck here being teachers with our powers back at square one?" Jay said with his mouth full, bits of pudding on his freckled cheeks.

Nya rushed into the room and shut the door tight, as if it was the zombie apocalypse. "Why is that when I teach, I get the feeling that none of the boys are listening?" She groaned.

"Hi, Miss Nya. I saved you some pudding." Jay held out the half-eaten cup to his girlfriend.

Nya took one look at it. "What did we talk about?" She asked him in a dry voice.

"Oh, right. Boundaries." Jay shuffled away in his seat, embarrassed.

"Hey, did you guys hear the news?" She set down her bag of graded papers.

"There's trouble?" Kai went into a fighting stance.

"Danger?"

"An emergency?"

"Oh, a new menace?"

"No. We got clearance for a field trip." Nya said.

All four boys groaned. Cole cursed in French.

"But not any field trip!" Nya explained. "We're going to tour Borg Industries!"

Jay's jaw dropped. "YOU'RE KIDDING! _THE_ BORG INDUSTRIES?! As in home to super genius reclusive savant Cyrus Borg?!"

"Oh boy, here we go again." Cole put a hand to his head.

"He was born with cerebral palsy and autism, but that didn't keep him down! Everyone else saw him as a disabled weirdo, but he was actually a genius and didn't let the public stop him! And so he went and invented the hover car and everything else cool in this world!!!"

Zane gave Jay a nice kick to the tailbone, a bit offended that he wasn't considered one of the cool things in the world by Jay.

Kai rolled his eyes and went to go get some tea from the brewer. "That's cool and all, but who cares about Cyrus Borg's inventions? If you ask me, people should concern themselves with the lessons of the past. Not waste their time on the disposable fads of tomorrow when-" He turned around, seeing Lily was the only one in the room.

She smiled sheepishly. "Everyone else already left." She said.

Kai groaned. "Nobody ever listens to me these days." He muttered.

As Lily and Kai entered the base late, one of the kid was complaining they had to take it instead of a dragon or something cool like that. Cole was putting up with it in his own way. "We're not taking the Ultra Dragon, uh, because they don't have one of these." He held up a microphone, connected to the bus console through a wire. "Pretty cool, huh? I'm on a microphone. I am the MC." He turned around, shaking his butt and dancing a bit. "The _Mighty Cole_!"

"Mr. Bouquet is the worst." One kid said.

"I heard that!" Cole yelled through the mic, making the entire bus cover their ears.

"So we really are going back to the city." Kai mused. "We haven't been there since-well, you know." He kept quiet. Lily gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We only have today." He stared out the front window. "Or else this offer expires." He added quickly. "Get a move on, Nya!"

"Aye, aye, Sensei." Nya started the bus, and they began their long trek to the city.

It had been a year since Lily had seen Ninjago City. Last time it was in ruins. Now, it looked like an advanced civilization from another planet. Streets were lined with neon lights, and airways soared across the skies. She saw changing billboards everywhere, and machinery casually doing the work of 30 men. It was a dream come true, and it left most of the bus passengers speechless.

"Wow. You leave town a short while and-" She suddenly hit something and swerved on the road. "Ahh!"

The passengers screamed, and the bus stopped moving. "Is everyone okay?" Kai stood, scanning the students. He got a wave of thumbs up in the air from them.

"Ugh! Who here still uses wheels anymore? Get with the program!" Said a postman, glaring at Nya from his car. Lily realized he was the one they must have crashed into.

"Don't worry, we'll free you up. Time for some old-school muscle tool." Cole cracked his knuckles and started to move the postman's vehicle.

"Stand back, pedestrian." A huge robotic machine wheeled up behind Cole. Lily gasped upon seeing it. It was straight out of _Aliens_.

"Who're you calling pedestrian?" Cole shook a fist at the large robot, but he stepped out of the way.

"It appears our help is not welcome." Zane observed.

"Well, I prefer traveling the old-fashioned way." Wu stepped out of the bus. "On foot. Besides, it's not like we can't find where we're going." He pointed to a large tower that stood just behind them. It reached into the clouds.

Jay's hands were flapping and shaking from his excitement. "BORG TOWER! AHH! We're here!"

The lobby was just as decorated as the city streets were, although much cleaner. Holograms and botany lined the walls. Lily noticed a cafe with windows overlooking them, making her stomach growl. Right, she did go through a period of not eating for a year.

Wait, had she lost weight? Did she grow older? Lily needed to get herself together.

A melodic voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Welcome to Borg Industries." A beautiful woman walked down the stairs. At first, Lily thought she was human, but her snow-white skin plating and purple wiring that could be seen through it gave away her robotic nature. She had messy hair tied up in a ponytail, strands hanging down like wires. She wore a robe that did not cover the right side of her chest (which, thankfully for the young students, was completely flat and robotically designed).

"I'm PIXAL, Cyrus' Primary Interactive External Assistant Life-form. I'm sorry to hear about the traffic accident." The android continued, and motioned to the outside collision. "Your antiquated bus should be ready shortly." She peered at Zane, her neon green eyes glowing curiously. "You are Zane, an android like me. What does 'ZANE' stand for?"

Zane put a hand on his heart and stood a bit taller. "I stand for peace, freedom, and courage in the face of all who threaten Ninjago!" 

Jay tapped his shoulder. "She means your name, tin head."

PIXAL continued to stare at him. It was getting a little weird. "I guess I'm just...Zane." He said awkwardly.

"Permission to scan?" She asked casually.

Zane was taken aback by this. "Uh! Permission, granted?" He stood still, allowing her to shine a blue light upon his body. Lily swore she saw a small blush on his cheeks.

"Heh, check it out. Zane has an admirer." Jay snickered. Nya shushed him, but she was smiling too.

"Your hardware is outdated and your processors are incompatible with ours." PIXAL observed. "Peculiar. All androids must recharge their batteries, but I cannot locate your energy source." She placed a hand on his heart, making Zane jump back a little. "What powers you?"

"I...don't know." He was very flustered. "Could you please...er..."

"My apologies." PIXAL pulled her hand back. "I did not mean to make you feel uneasy. Please, go to the elevator just that way." She pointed to the large glass cylinder in the middle of the room. "Mr. Borg would like to see the Ninja."

Zane followed the others to the elevator. Lily blinked a couple times, and accidentally used her powers to glance into the spirit realm (this happened more frequently than you'd think). She could see everyone's souls like before. Zane still an icy, shimmering blue, and very embarrassed as he walked to the elevator doors.

PIXAL's soul did not show up. She remained a greyed out object. Made sense, she was a machine.

Wait.

Why could Lily see Zane's soul if he was a robot like her?

During the ride up, she pondered this. Maybe there was more to Zane than they knew. She wondered if Dr. Julien had told him anything before his unfortunate passing.

"You okay?" Jay asked, nudging her.

Lily shook her head wildly, getting back to reality. "Yeah. Just in deep thought." The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. "Oh look, we're here!"

Somebody inside the large office laughed. "I would've guessed Ninja to sneak in a window, not use the elevator." A young man poked his head out from behind a computer as the Ninja stepped inside.

Jay gasped. "Oh, my gosh. Are you? Are you-?"

"Cyrus Borg? Yes. Unfortunately, when my parents gave me a name like that," He came out from behind his desk. "My future in technology was predetermined." He was sitting in a large machine that moved using multiple legs.

Zane dropped a wrench he was inspecting. Jay let out a nervous laugh. The other there let their mouths hang open.

Cyrus chuckled, amused. "Ah, yes, these. Sadly, I've been disabled all my life. But it's nothing my mind couldn't fix. Speaking of which, my deepest condolences, Zane." He began to quietly discuss some matters with Zane, while everyone else poked around his office, He had some rather neat stuff.

A gyroscope, a blueprint for a rocket ship, and the entire Divergent series. Lily pulled the first book out and noticed he had notes scrawled all over the pages, each one explaining how wrong this certain thing was. She gently put it back. Cyrus appeared behind her.

Lily yelped.

"Oh, my apologies! I've just, wanted to meet you in person, Miss Gabel." He smiled. "You're the elemental master of...body?"

"Soul, actually." Lily corrected.

"Marvelous! I heard you have exceptional healing powers. You see, I've been working on a project that can heal wounds quicker using nanites, until you can get to a hospital of course. It was partially inspired by you."

Lily blushed. "Oh, gosh, Mr. Borg, I don't know what to say."

Kai inspected outside the window, then stumbled back a bit. "Isn't this the same place the Overload was destroyed? ...Who dreamed up the idea of building a corporate headquarters here?" He shivered a bit, looking around.

Cyrus noticed his concern. "Ah, what better way to send a message to evil that we won't cower to anyone."

Oh, how Lily wanted to tell him that wasn't the reason Kai was jittery about this location.

"I see, or better yet, I don't see the Golden Ninja." Cyrus cocked his head to the side.

"Oh, his hands are a wee bit full, but we can tell him to stop by." Cole offered.

"No, no, no. I'm glad it's just you four." Cyrus smiled, then noticed Lily. "I mean, five. I have a gift, and it was really meant for just you five."

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"A gift, huh? Won't say no to that. It wouldn't happen to be cake would it?" Cole smiled, licking his lips a bit.

"Actually, it is." Cyrus revealed a large cake box, almost as big as Cole. He gawked at it. "Oh my gosh!"

"I wouldn't recommend opening it until you return home. It doesn't last very long, this recipe." Cyrus admitted. "This was my first time, actually..." He added, under his breath, walking behind Kai to let them look at the box more closely. Cole inspected the box, poking it with a finger.

"Uh, I'm sorry to cut this short, but there's things to invent. I hope you can show yourselves out." Cyrus walked past Kai and returned behind his desk, smiling at the ninja. His face glistened with sweat.

Lily was concerned. "Mr. Borg, are you feeling alright?"

"Just fine! Now please. I don't wish to keep you."

"But I like-"

"Yo, Lils." Cole waved. "A little help?" He and Jay were struggling to pick up the cake box. The five Ninja managed to drag the box into the elevator, and waited patiently as they went back down to the first floor. Lily puffed, trying to keep steady.

"Guys, something weird is up with Borg." Kai said, his legs shaking as he held the box up.

"They're called artificial limbs, Kai." Jay snapped. "I know you hate machines, but you don't have to be rude. We're his guests. Or if this is about his autism-"

"No, goodness no! I mean he was acting suspicious. Like he was scared. He told me we had to protect 'them' with out lives." Kai said.

Cole leaned down slightly and sniffed the cake box. "'Them' who?"

"I don't know, but-"

Cole tripped, and the box dropped. Out from the bottom fell a cake, with promptly squashed on the floor. Jay gritted his teeth. "Gaaah! Look what you did, Cole! You're such a glutton!"

"I wasn't trying to get into it! I was just...hold on." He dug through the moist dessert, making Jay gag.

"You're willing to eat it from the floor?"

"No Jay, ew. I just found something in the cake." He pulled out a large red box. It was rather oddly decorated. "I think there's important something inside." He wiped off the crumbs and icing, opening it.

"New uniforms?" Jay picked one up. "Hey, it's exactly my size. Not weird at all..."

"And what exactly are these?" Kai dug out a bunch of weirdly decorated golden sticks from the box.

The elevator suddenly flashed with a red light, an ominous voice coming from the speaker. "Techno Blades located. Apprehend. Will the assailants stand down and drop the Techno Blades?"

"First you call us pedestrians, and now we're assailants?" Jay muttered.

Zane desperately started to press buttons on the console. "Nothing works. Perhaps a malfunction?" He hoped.

"Guys, these must be the Techno Blades." Kai stared at the golden sticks. "We have to protect them with our lives."

"Have it your way." The computer said. The elevator's path slowly rumbled to a stop. "Goodbye."

All the organs in Lily's body lost their place. She felt her body start to go weightless, rise into the air, and sharply hit the ceiling of the elevator. It was like those drop towers at the amusement parks, but with no safety bars. She wanted to scream for her life but her stomach begged her not to open her mouth, less there be unfortunate consequences.

"Let the elevator have the Techno Blades, Kai! I think its made its point!" Jay screamed next to her.

Kai grunted and shifted, feeling for something behind him. He then groaned, peeled himself off the ceiling, and managed to drop back onto the floor and flip in time to knock the emergency for open. He caught the top of the elevator, holding on tight. "Going up!" He yelled. The remaining three used their spinjitsu to fight against the wind, and climbed through.

Lily figured she'd be starting a new adventure, but she didn't think it would happen this soon. Time to put her training to good use. She crawled over to the hole, reaching for Kai's hand, but slipped a little too far and was flung high into the air through the door. Kai's yell for her grew quieter the further she went.

And then gravity took hold on her body, and she fell towards the ground.


	26. Red Clover

For just a moment, Lily got her bearings. It would take her some time before sheet the ground. Lily noticed another elevator coming up, and tried gliding toward it.

She proceeded to faceplant into the elevator that the Ninja were riding on, falling through onto the floor in the middle of them. Cole reached for her hand and helped her up it. "Yikes. You-"

"Fine, just dizzy..." Lily shook her head. "The world's shaking." She noticed Cole was now wearing a Ninja gi.

"See, I told you she'd be fine." Zane said. He handed her a purple suit. "Here, I think this is for you. Don't worry, we won't look." He glared at the others, who promptly closed their eyes.

Lily was uncomfortable with this, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice, unless she wanted to change in the cold air where everyone in Ninjago could see her. She turned and quickly started unbuttoning her pants.

Just as she slipped the lower half of the robes on, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. "WAIT NO!" Lily scrambled to unbutton her shirt and slip her arms through the sleeves. "I'M NOT DONE YET!" She frantically slipped her arms through the right sleeve and adjusted the robe to her size.

"Let's do this." Kai brought out the weird golden stick. He slipped the new mask up on his face, which covered only the lower half of it. They all flipped out with their sticks out like the graceful Ninja they were, while poor Lily stumbled behind them trying to wrap the final bits of the robe around herself. She clipped it together, and caught her stick in the air, pointing it at her enemies. They were large guardian robots.

At least she managed to make her ending graceful.

The robots pointed their guns at them, the sound of a laser firing building up.

"Oh, yeah? Two can play at this game!" He stuck his blade out at the robots. "Hiyaa!" Nothing happened, and he began shaking it. "What's with these things? How do we turn them on?"

Zane looked at the light fixtures. "Here, let me try." He swung his blade at the wall, trying to break an outlet, but it only clanged off harmlessly. "It's not sharp. Why even call it a blade?" He wondered, dodging more shots.

"Guess we'll just have to run!" Cole jumped over the railings of the hole in the middle of the room using Spinjitsu, going down a couple of levels. The others followed suite, dodging the lasers being fired at them.

Lily stood at the edge, shaking.

"Come on!" Cole cried out.

"What, are you crazy?! I can't do spinjitsu!"

"Just jump! I'll catch you! Trust me!" Cole held his arms out. Lily took a deep breath and swung over the railing, screaming as she fell. Cole reached out and caught her with the help of Jay. "Come on!" He puled her across the room.

Zane used his shoulder to break through a window and climb onto a window cleaner's gondola. As the rest of them followed, a little robot stared at them, before his eyes turned red. It seemed that he didn't appreciate Zane breaking his window.

Cole's response was to kick him off the gondola.

The Ninja all started to pull down on the ropes, slowly but steadily getting the gondola to the ground. As they went, Kai told them what Cyrus had said.

"And that's when Borg said he was listening." He finished. "I have reason to believe it might be...remnants, of the Overlord."

Lily shivered. She still got a chill up her spine when the name was spoken.

"Do you _really_ think it's the Overlord?" Jay asked him, doubtful.

"We all saw Lloyd defeat him." Cole agreed.

Zane furrowed his brows in thought. "Defeat, yes. But can he be destroyed?"

"I don't know, but we can!" Jay pointed at a police-copter that flew up next to the gondola. "What do we do?!"

A couple plans went through Zane's head, and his eye lit up in realization. He turned to his friend. "Cole! Throw me!"

"Excuse me?!" Cole said, his face the same color as the red lights blinking on and off.

"Just do it!" Cole picked Zane up and threw him in the direction on the copter. Upon landing, it offset it's balance and fired missiles (thankfully) in the wrong direction. Zane held his Techno Blade up, and it began to shake with white energy. A saw suddenly appeared on it, and Zane thrusted it into the chassis of the helicopter.

Ice cracked and grew over it's form-and in it's place now floated a Zane-themed helicopter.

"WHAT?!" Lily shrieked. "Zane, how did you do that?!"

"The Techno Blade must've hacked the tower-copter's system! Zane controls it!" Jay said, pointing. "So that means..."

The four of them looked at their own Techno Blades. "Cool..." They sighed in usion.

Lily tried turning on her own blade. It's form flickered purple for a moment, but otherwise stayed a golden stick. She sighed. "We have to find Nya and the others!"

"Hang on!" Zane floated a bit closer, and using the machinery grabbed the gondola and carried it along with him. The night sky was bitter, but resolve kept them going. Zane stopped in front of a window for a moment, staring inside.

"What do you see?" Kai asked.

Zane didn't answer. He fired a couple calculated shots and then flew up to the roof, where Nya and the students had emerged from the vents. "Everyone on board!"

Students clambered onto the gondola, weighing it down a bit. Lily saw PIXAL emerge from the shadows, trying to grab for Nya. Her eyes were now red. She grabbed Nya's wrist, brushing it with her grip. "This will be the end of you-"

Nya didn't let her finish. She kicked her in the face and let her fall down, running to Zane's ride. He, rather reluctantly, flew away. Kai went to his sister, looking at Nya's injured arm. She pulled it away. "I'm fine, Kai."

"I'm your big brother, I'm supposed to worry." Kai said, pulling down his mask and smiling at her.

"Wait, where did the new suits come from?"

...

_Alright._

_So Nya's heading back to the school._

_We have to wait an unknown time for Lloyd to come._

_The entire city of Ninjago is about to turn on us and it's citizens._

_And we're all that's in it's way._

_...This isn't my best day._

Lily did not feel confident. She watched as a red glow slowly swept the city into madness. Traffic lights stopping working, cars starting turning by themselves, and the machines doing the dirty work stared at the people creepily. But she got into the Ninja Huddle (TM) anyway.

"Alright, so these Techno Blades can hack into their systems. We will abuse that to no end." Kai said. 

"So, what do you say we do a little hack-attack?" Jay snickered.

"Zane, Kai, you take to the skies. I want Cole and Jay on the ground. And Lily and I will do what we can for the people."

Cole let out a giggle. "Anyone else feeling all tingly inside?"

"In a different way." Lily admitted.

The group yelled out "NINJA GO!" and broke, doing spinjitsu as they rant o different parts of the city. Lily felt rather left out, but...that was no matter. Her first plan was to save the people who couldn't save themselves. Disabled persons, children, etc.

She caught sight of a small child staring up at a glowing billboard. It was flickering a dark red, and slowly moving down towards the child.

Lily ran as fast as she could and grabbed her, holding the girl close to her chest as they tumbled out of the way. The billboard smashed into piece on the ground, where the child was standing. The little girl was now crying.

"It's okay, you're safe now. Can you tell me where you parents are?" Lily asked.

"Scary robots!" It was all the child could say.

Lily frowned with determination and carried the child what looked like a sewer hole, marked " _FOR EVAC USE ONLY_ ". It seemed that Ninjago had to be destroyed twice to finally make a safe evacuation route for the citizens. Lily rolled her eyes and opened it, helping the child down. She heard voices and saw a bunch of people with flashlights staring up at her.

"Who're you?" One man asked, climbing up to reach for the girl.

"A ninja! Help this girl find her parents!"

"Wait, that's the new ninja, the one who helped save Ninjago from the Overlord! I thought she was dead!" Somebody yelled from below.

Lily handed the girl to the man, and closed the pothole. She turned around to find a small army of robots.

They readied their guns.

Lily unsheathed her blade.

They fired on her, burning Lily's skin as they shot past. She dodged the lasers and rushed to a particularly cool-looking one. It was short, but had spider-like legs on wheels and a small set of cannons at the top. "You're mine." Lily growled. She climbed up it's leg and subconsciously, her blade turned on, leaving a purple afterglow wherever she moved.

It changed from a mere stick to a tonfa-like structure, complete with a blade on one end. She rammed it into the machine. Wisps of violet soaked into the crawler, and it was transformed into something more...Lily's style. Complex instructions on how to work it started to flow into her mind.

Lily stood in her new cock-pit and moved one of the levers. It swung across the road, automatic cannons blasting robots into gears and bolts.

She howled in ecstasy, letting the machine spin into view of the ninja and their chosen vehicles. It seemed they were all connected via the same comm link, as a chorus of voices and shouting made Lily have to cover her ears. Arranging themselves in a circle, the Ninja fired gallons of energy at their foes.

"There's too many of them!" Cole yelled, swiping the blades in his mech.

"Keep going!" Kai insisted.

Zane tried to fly up higher in the air, but several small machine jumped on him, forcing him to the ground. "I don't think that will-"

A golden light erupted in the sky, almost as bright as the sun. As each beam hit the infected machines, they slowly powered down. The screens around the city returned to normal, now reading "PLEASE EVACUATE". A fog of golden dust made the streets shimmer. It smelled like...butter?

Lily turned, and sighed in relief.

Descending from the sky was Lloyd, mounted on a Golden Dragon.

"Robots versus Ninja?" He laughed, letting the dragon dissipate into the night air. "Dare I ask?"

"LLOYD WHERE WERE YOU?! WE ALMOST GOT CRUSHED BY THESE GUYS!" Jay screamed at him, hugging the kid hard enough he winced.

"Missed you...too, buddy." He gasped.

The other ninja crowded around him, offering words of thanks and greetings. "Let's save the party for later." Wu said. "Lloyd, we need to-"

"So you couldn't help yourself." A familiar voice crackled through the speakers. On every screen in the city, a polygonal face appeared. It had red eyes and a purple background, and it glitched whenever it spoke.

All five Ninja pulled out their blades and pointed them at nearest screen. Lloyd let a small ball of gold grow in his hand.

"The Golden Ninja, we meet again." bellowed the Overlord. 

Lloyd scoffed. "I defeated you once, I'll defeat you again. We can go right here, right now."

"Oh, I don't want to fight." said the Overlord innocently. "I just want your power."

"I don't wanna hear your monologues any more." Lloyd prepared to throw his orb at the screen.

"No, Lloyd!" Wu held his arm back. "Your power is only making them stronger."

Lloyd looked around, and surely, the golden fog was being sucked up into the machines. They stood, eyes glowing red, and cannons superheated.

"How did that happen?" Lloyd shook his head, bewildered. "More importantly, how do we fight?"

"We don't. We need to get you and the Techno Blades out of the city." Kai explained.

Several billboards crashed into the streets, trapping them in a diamond. "I don't think he'll let us leave." Cole murmured.

"I have an idea, but I don't have much time to explain. Listen close." The plan was for Wu to hold the Techno Blades long enough that the Overlord could confirm them. At the last moment, he would give them to Kai's jet as they escaped the city. it was risky, and none of the ninja liked the idea of leaving Wu behind, but the old man cracked his knuckles and insisted he would be fine.

"Sensei, just...stay safe, alright?" Lily gave him one last hug before heading to her walker.

"I'll do my best. I still have lessons to teach you, after all." 

Lily gave him a smile before riding away to the cities edge with Zane, Cole, and Jay. "At 4.2 percent chance of success, I'd say our hope is slim." Zane told them, worried.

"That's why it's called hope, Zane." The Blue Ninja said. The sun was starting to set. Lily looked up at the Golden Dragon flying above them, painting the remaining blue sky golden with it's scales. She gripped the levers of her machine and pressed on.

Her duty to protect Lloyd was not over yet.


	27. Orange Gerbera

Lily stared at her crawler. It was currently sitting in a pond, submerged enough only a keen eye could see it. She hoped it would stay waterproof.

She yawned. She was very tired. They had been driving the whole night, and she got little to no sleep. Maybe the Ninja were used to this, but she sure wasn't. They had finally stopped...somewhere. Lily had a hard time remembering, she was half-asleep. Wherever they were, Lily really hoped they had coffee. Maybe food. She hadn't eaten since yesterday.

"I'm such a wreck." She said out loud, putting her head in her hands.

"If by that you mean you wreck your enemies..." Lloyd jumped down from the treetops. "Then I'd say you a pretty good wreck."

Lily spun around, red in the face. "Were you spying on me?!"

"What? No! I was testing out the stealth on my new gi." Lloyd said, motioning to his techno robes. He put a finger to his chin. "Or maybe I'm just that good..." He thought for a moment, then shrugged, hugging Lily. "I missed you."

"Same here, Chosen One." She hugged back. "Life's a little, uh, brighter when you're around."

"Wait. Was that a pun?" He broke the hug, raising an eyebrow.

Lily snickered.

He swatted her on the shoulder, and she broke out laughing. They joined up with the others, everyone excited to finally be back together (even if it was because the world was ending again).

"Lloyd?" Misako walked off the path into the clearing, surprised to see her son visiting so soon.

Mom?" Lloyd turned around, and embraced his mother.

She smiled warmly at all of them. "What are you all doing here?"

The Golden Ninja explained what happened.

Misako sighed, a bit of despair seeping into her voice. "Wu's tough. There's a reason he's lived as long as he has."

"Well, where's Dad?" Lloyd asked excitedly.

"Yeah. Where's Lord Garmadon?" Kai echoed bitterly, earning a dirty look from Lloyd. Oh yeah, another thing Lily wasn't entirely caught up with; Lloyd's father, post-corruption.

"He no longer goes by Lord." Misako corrected him. "Here, he is Sensei Garmadon, and he won't be back until this evening's lesson."

Oh. They were at the Garmadon's personal monastery. That explained how Misako found them so quickly.

"He's a sensei?!" Jays' jaw dropped.

Zane nodded in understanding. "I'm glad he's on our side now."

"Come with me, I'll take you inside. You can rest a bit from your journey."

 _OH THANK GOD,_ Lily thought.

They brandished their weapons on their backs, but Misako's eyes widened the second she saw them. The aged woman held out her hands to stop them. "Wait! Your weapons are not allowed. Garmadon has sworn an oath to never fight in hope to make up for his evil past. It's an oath he takes very seriously." Her eyes did not lie.

"But we were supposed to protect these with our lives." Kai explained. "And never let them out of our sight."

Zane glared his throat. "You guys go on ahead, I will stay back and watch over them."

In a moment's notice he was surrounded by the blades, the Ninaj thanking him for the sacrifice and skipping off to see what laid inside the walls of the monastery. Lily placed hers gently in Zane's hands. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No. Your stomach is growling loud enough I'm sure my father could hear it." He joked. "Go inside."

Lily quickly curled her hands around her torso and promptly left. Oh gosh, he was right. She gathered with the others inside, admiring the tranquility of the property. There were small cottages, koi ponds and bonsais, and a large tree blooming with cherries. Eyeing a particularly ripe one, Lily plucked it off the tree and ate it before anyone else could see her.

The inside of the temple was so simple, yet so beautiful. There were flowers in vases around every corner. Scrolls on the walls displayed ancient proverbs. The ninja were led to the living area, which let the bright sun shine inside. Upon seeing a couch, Lily flopped onto it, falling asleep in seconds.

"Guess she's not used to our Ninja sleep schedule." Kai chuckled. "I hope she's awake in time for the lesson."

(She wasn't.)

Lily felt something shake her. She weakly opened her eyes, to find a pair of emerald green ones staring back at her.

"Hello." Lloyd said.

She shrieked and backed up to the other side of the couch like Lloyd was some cockroach. The "cockroach" is question was almost choking on his laughter. She puffed her cheeks out a little. "Really? There are a million ways to wake a person up, and you choose to scare me..."

"You should've seen your face..." He laughed.

"Why do I get the feeling you're stalking me?" She asked, half-joking and half-serious.

"I haven't seen you in months, of course I'd like to spend more time with you than usual." Lloyd gave her a cheeky grin and walked to the door. "Not to mention you took a nap that lasted for a whole year."

"Hey, I didn't get to choose how long I slept." She wagged a finger at him, getting off the couch and following him. "And th-that's no excuse to linger by my side waiting for me to wake up so you can scare the living daylights out of me!"

"Worth it." He said in a sing-song voice. "But I didn't just sit there for three hours, I did wake you up myself."

"...Alright, you win." She rolled her eyes. "Is there food in the future?"

"Yeah. That's why I woke you up in the first place." He slid open the door to the monastery's dining room. The smell of something absolutely delicious hit her like Cole's punch during training. It was _yakitori_ and _tempura_ , and probably something else too.

At the head of the table, Garmadon looked up and waved. "Amaryllis! Oh, it's so good to see you again. I was wondering if you'd ever wake up."

"It's a pleasure to be here. And you can just call me Lily." She said as she sat down.

"I'd...prefer to call you Amaryllis." He said, looking the other way. His heavy, green eyes showed guilt. She calmly ate the _yakitori_ skewer, understanding his decision.

"Oh my gosh, you missed too much." Kai said.

"I feel like I miss everything. What happened this time?"

"Lloyd got KO'd by Sensei Garmadon!" Cole said, jabbing a chopstick at him. Lloyd's flustered levels went from 0 to 100.

"He...what?" Lily asked, putting down her chicken.

"It's a wonderful story." Garmadon began.

"Dad please don't-" Lloyd begged his father, but this seemed to only add fuel to Garmadon's fire.

"I was teaching the Art of the Silent Fist, where you use your opponents strength against themselves without laying a finger on them. Lloyd offered to be my volunteer."

"Okay, Dad, I think she gets it-"

"So he preformed several kicks, jabs, and in the end did a flying kick towards me-"

"Dad seriously please! SHE GETS IT."

"And I simply rolled out of the way, allowing him to slam face first into one of the poles." He sipped his tea. The rest of the table burst into hysterics, remembering the event. Lily tried to imagine the strong, powerful Golden Ninja...being so clumsy. Lloyd, now defeated twice that day by his dad, put his tomato-red face into his hands.

The laughter was interrupted by the ninja's phones all going off at once. Lily opened hers up, revealing a text message from Zane to the whole group:

_OUTSIDE_

_TECHNO BLADES_

_ASSISTANCE_

No words needed to be exchanged. They abandoned the meal and hurried into the courtyard. Zane was already there, holding the blades under one arm and tugging somebody along with the other. Cole squinted. "It's...PIXAL." He frowned. "Did _she_ try to take the blades? Wait, more importantly, how did she find us?"

"How about we take her apart to find out?" Kai suggested.

Zane almost had a panic attack upon hearing that. "No Kai!" He yelled. "She was only doing what she was programmed to do. There is no need for any more violence." He pulled out his blade, activating the icy-blue ridges along it's shape.

Garmadon turned tense, seeing it. "No, please. You mustn't-"

"Woah. Hey." Jay put a comforting hand on his arm. "It's okay, that's not a weapon. It can only be used for hacking things." As he spoke, Zane rested the tip onto PIXAL's forehead, covering her in a coat of ice and releasing her from the Overlord's programming.

"Where am I?" She asked. "Why am I tied up?"

Zane gave Kai a "see?" face and untied her. "You were under the control of the Overlord. I freed you."

"Overlord?" She took a moment to calculate something. "I have retained some important information. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes yes yes! Tell us!" Jay said impatiently. "Always tell us!"

"The Overlord has mined Sensei Wu's memories. He knows of your location."

Garmadon stepped forward. "My brother. Is he...okay?" The words must have felt foreign on his tongue, having not said or thought of that for years.

She looked at the Techno Blades. "Yes, but the Overlord wants your son. His Golden Power is the only way he can escape the digital realm and become real."

"Why are these so important?" Kai waved his blade at her. "Does he expect us to hack every electronic object in Ninjago?"

"Of course not. That would be ridiculous. They are important because together, they can reboot the system, wipe the master computer clean, and destroy the Overlord virus for good."

At that moment the ninja realized they held the key to destroying the Overlord this time, not Lloyd. Jay had a hard time hiding his envious reaction on that.

PIXAL had no need to breathe, so her sudden gasp came out more like a whir of machinery. "I didn't come alone." She said. "There are Nindroids."

"What?!" Zane brandished his blade, then remembered it wasn't proficient enough to be a weapon. "Nindroids? Like...me?"

"Yes. Like you." She stared at him with as much emotion as she could muster. "Only better."

The first Nindroid appeared out of the air behind them and swung it's sword at Lily.


	28. Peach Blossom

She reacted just in time, but the swing was enough to cut the band holding her hair up. It fluttered out like a cape.

The attacker cocked his head at her. He had unfeeling red lights for eyes, and a Ninja suit-only it was made of metal and auctioned more like his skin. She noticed similarities in his structure to that of Zane's, but he was still different enough to be his own.

"Eradicate." It said. It swung at her again, but Lily blocked it's sword with the body of her tonfa, struggling. More Nindroids emerged from the shadows in response. The others got ready to fight.

"Five versus eighteen. Probability of survival too low to quantify." PIXAL said.

"That's reassuring!" Lily finally pushed the Nindroid back with a little boost of her power. It crouched and jumped at her exposed legs, knocking her down. Two more nindroids appeared on either side of her, grabbing her arms and holding her down.

"These Nindroids are so much fast-" Jay's voice was promptly silenced by another nindroid.

Lily groaned, trying to pry her arms away from their grip. She felt sweat start to pour down her face as she used her powers. Without her Elemental Blade it was much more difficult to tap into her innermost powers, but Lily was doing her best to work on it. With a final yell, she pulled her hands together, breaking the nindroid's bodies in two. The hands were still holding on, and she slammed them on the ground to break.

Legions more of Nindroids fell from the sky, wearing jetpacks and soaring down to join the fight. This was a whole army of enemies now, and none of them were equipped to fight. Lily gritted her teeth. Now what?

Lloyd moved past her, carrying an unconscious Zane into the monastery. Lily followed, worried. "What happened to him?"

"He just took a few more hits than he could handle." Lloyd explained. In front of him, the other Ninja followed Garmadon.

"We've got you now." Screamed the army of Nindroids behind them.

They emerged behind the water wheel, with nowhere else to go. Cole scoffed. "Sensei G, didn't you say you were going to give us a clear path?"

"I said I'd clear a path for you!" He whacked him with his staff. "Now, anybody up for a rather crazy plan?"

"Absolutely!" Nya said, a little jittery.

He turned to the ninja. "Your vehicles have autopilot modes, right?"

"Yeah..." They all said in usion.

"We're going to use that as a diversion, and escape in the water wheel."

Many thoughts went through Lily's mind during the process of the escape. While she used the blade to set her vehicle to autopilot from afar, she thought about how this was going to work. When she got into the water wheel and braced herself against it, she wondered if this really was the only idea left.

And the second the wheel started to roll down the hill, Lily asked herself why she decided to go through with this. And she had to bite her tongue keep from dreaming and revealing her location. There was a definite injury somewhere in her mouth. She was pretty sure her stomach had switched places with her liver. Sure, the gravity of the roll kept her in one place, but it also made her innards spin.

It started to slow to a stop, and flopped over on one side. She hit her head against the wood, and felt rather dizzy. Lily let go of the sides and rolled out, not exactly caring how ridiculous she looked. She tried to get up, but only succeeded in heaving and choking on air.

"Are you alright, Amaryllis?" Garmadon knelt down beside her. She gave him a weak thumbs-up, and hacked up some more _yakitori_. He patted her back in understanding. Another thing she wasn't on par with the ninja; a strong stomach.

"We should get a move on." Cole was saying.

"I'm coming with you." Garmadon stood up. "If the Overlord wants my son, I'm not letting him out of my sight." He walked over to Lloyd, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I'll stay and look after the monastery." Misako said, and left to check on the students there.

"Wait. If he wants me, and the Techno Blades are the only things that can stop him, shouldn't we split up, just in case?" Lloyd suggested. "It makes sense."

"That's actually not a bad idea." Cole nodded, pursing his lips together. "Okay. We split up. Techno Team over here, uh...Golden Boys over there."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow, and Garmadon was very confused by his statement.

"Good thinking." Nya said. "Zane's falcon knows the secret location of my Samurai X cave. You and your father go and take what you need to get as far away from us as possible."

 _Did she just say she had a secret cave full of her samurai stuff?_ Lily thought. _This girl's even cooler than I thought. Which reminds me, I haven't seen her in her samurai suit yet, or doing anything samurai-ish..._

"Secret cave?" Jay looked at Nya as though she had grown a third arm. "I thought we knew everything about each other."

"Well, a girl's gotta have her secrets." She shrugged, putting her hands on her hips.

"So, what are you guys gonna do?" Lloyd asked. "Those Nindroids aren't gonna let you step one foot into the city."

"Well, PIXAL said all machines need to recharge their batteries, right? So..." Nya smirked, an almost evil glint in her eyes. "We're gonna shut down the power."

PIXAL nodded. "That is an excellent tactic Nya."

"Why thank you." She smiled and crossed her arms triumphantly.

...

The main power supply to the city was in the outskirts of the desert, closer to the mountains. It was called the Wind Farms Power Supply. The Ninja parted ways with Lloyd and Garmadon, and went about trying to find a way in. According to PIXAL, it would be crawling with Nindroids right about now.

The surrounding area was populated mostly by general stores, traveling dancers or troupes, who used the area's strong wifi as an advantage. The Overlord had barred off more than just Wind Farms, and some of the troupes were trapped and under constant surveillance. The only way in or out was by the Nindroids allowing them to pass.

Cole struck a deal with one such circus train, mostly featuring Arabic dancers. The leader of the troupe, Din, would provide them safe passage in exchange for an abundance of food. Garmadon appeased them by gifting them with a large bag of cherries and untouched leftovers from the meal they had.

And that's how Lily ended up smushed in a TARDIS-box with the others, riding on the circus train into enemy territory. It had a lot of elbow room on the inside, but on the outside it looked like it would fit a couple boxes of bananas. She didn't know how they all managed to fit, the magician refused to reveal the trick to his work. Made sense.

"So..." Jay broke the silence. "How's life?"

"You live with us, Jay. You know." Cole said.

"But I don't know everything! I just wanna make conversation..." He shrugged. "I don't like all this silence."

"Why?" Kai asked.

"It just bugs me, okay?" Jay said, a little snippy.

Somebody knocked on the top of the box. Light poured in, making Lily feel a little faint. "Come on out, you're safe." A circus clown said, ushering the ninja into the open again. When Jay swung his legs over the box's sides, he honked a horn in his face, irritating him.

The magician who covered for them stood with Din to greet us. "The edge of the Storm Farms is as far as we will go without further suspicion. We pray you have a comfortable ride there." The magician said, the clown standing next to him. "Abracadabra!" The clown honked his horn one last time and they were gone in a large puff of smoke, leaving only Din to watch their back.

"Show off." Jay coughed.

Din rolled her eyes. "You tell me. I live with those two." She said in a thick middle-eastern accent.

"So, Nya, shutting down this power substation." Cole started. "Can we really destroy the Overlord and his Nindroids by simply flipping a switch? It seems too good to be true."

Nya cocked a shoulder to one side. "Cripple them, yes. Destroy, no. Once we've powered down his army, we still need to reboot the central computer with the Techno Blades. And since he knows we have them, they aren't gonna let us just waltz in."

"Obviously." Din said from the other side of the train car.

Jay sat in dreamland for a moment, and snapped back with sudden worry in his electric blue eyes. "Whoa! Wait a minute, if shutting down the power turns off everything connected to it, wouldn't that mean PIXAL too?"

We all shared a look, thinking to ourselves _shoot, why we didn't realize this sooner?_

"Well, if Zane hasn't figured it out, don't tell him." Cole instructed us. "If we're going to come across more Nindroids, we need to be on our A game. He doesn't need to worry about her too."

"Speaking of which, where is Zane?" Kai looked around the train car. He made eye contact with Din, and raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer. It took her a moment to realize he was asking her.

"Oh! He's being repaired by that...Pixel lady. In the next train car behind you." She jabbed a thumb in that general direction. "I got my girls and guys surrounding the cars on lookout. They're safe."

Lily wanted to go check on them anyway. She snuck around a couple boxes, spotting PIXAL fixing the broken half of Zane's face onto him. She was quiet, not wanting to disturb the two.

"Thank you for repairing me." Zane was saying. "I guess an old Nindroid like me is no match against the newer models." He laughed a bit.

"This is just one of my primary functions. Gratitude is not required." PIXAL replied dryly. She unfolded his robes to work on his torso area, making poor Zane frown in embarrassment. He never did feel comfortable with other people poking around inside of him, not even Jay or Nya. Lily could understand his reaction completely.

He tilted his head up to avoid eye contact with his repairer. She unscrewed a few panels, and opening him up to reconnect some wires...and she was greeted by a healthy blue glow, coming from a disc where Zane's heart should be. "Fascinating." She said, staring at it. Lily's heart skipped a beat upon seeing it. Zane never allows anyone else to dig deep enough to find his power source.

"What is it?" Zane looked down to see her admiring his inner workings.

"Your power source." She told him. "It's a technology I am unfamiliar with. Your father built you with spare parts, yet this piece, it's unique. Perhaps if I take a closer look..." She lightly touched it with her finger, but sudden sparks flew and Zane cried out in pain. There was a pang in Lily's breast too, which caused her to stumble back and clutch her chest. PIXAL stepped away from him, folding her hands together. "I'm sorry I caused you pain. I was curious to understand why you are so different."

"We're all different." Zane agreed. "But, I don't feel so different around you." He smiled at her.

A few moments passed. "I am not different." The android said firmly. "I am PIXAL, the Primary Interactive External Assistant Life-form." She reattached his metal paneling, and Lily could no longer see the blue glow. "Your repairs are complete." She closed his chest back up and walked away.

Lily squinted, trying to see into the spirit realm even for a moment. She caught a glimpse, of Zane still glowing a gentle blue and a greyed-out PIXAL walking away. Strange. Zane was glowing the same color as his power source.

She stepped out from her hiding spot. "Zane?"

He yelped, and quickly tried to retie his robes with little success. "Oh, hello." He gazed at her. "Were you...listening?"

"Er...yes. I'm sorry Zane, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It would have been weird if I just walked in while PIXAL was repairing you." She got tired of seeing Zane's fingers fumbling around with his gi, so she finished tying Zane's robe herself. The nindroid sighed. "I won't tell anybody about your power source, if that will make you feel better."

"No, it's fine. I don't know much about it myself, so I can't see why not."

The train car rumbled as it crossed bumpy roads and tiny canyons. "So, you seem to like being around PIXAL."

"I do." Zane confessed. "I feel a connection with her, a kind of connection I haven't felt since my father was here."

"Oh." Lily said, a little bewildered. "You mean, like family?"

"Absolutely. I understand her, and she understands me. Even if it doesn't seem like it." He let his gaze trail around the room, not paying attention to particularly anything. "She knows what it is like to be a machine. ...Ah!" He looked back at Lily. "Not that I don't feel connection like that with any of you! You're still my brothers and sisters and I love you all very dearly and-"

"You're fine, Zane. I understand." Lily gave him a hug. "I've always had my own sort of connection with you."

He smiled warmly and hugged her back, rather tightly. Poor nindroid.

"Also, I think I have theory on you. Or rather, your power source." Lily said, breaking the hug.

Zane perked up. "Really? What sort of theory?" He asked, delighted to hear her ideas. Lily opened her mouth to explain when the train suddenly stopped. The two fought to keep their balance. "I suppose you will have to tell me later. I believe we are here." Zane said.


	29. Convolvulus

In Ninjago, there was a location that had a never-ending storm swirling around it. Legends said the lightning came from a Temple in the Sky, where a powerful weapon resided. Other, more ancient stories said a pagan goddess named Wohira had made her home here, and the skies thundered with her every breath. The point is, lightning always struck the land in this area, making the ground infertile and scattered with black marks.

The Wind Farms harvested the lightning from the air, and it was transported to every major power plant in Ninjago. And here, they would stop the farming and shut it all down. At least until the Overlord was dealt with.

Lily felt her hair blow in her face as the wind whipped and cracked around her. She wished she had a hair tie or something.

PIXAL watched the lightning with her neon green eyes. "Protocols say this area is not safe, for even a nindroid, without proper protection. I must inform you I do not feel safe."

Zane held his hand out to her. "Don't worry, none of us are getting struck. We have the Master of Lightning on our side."

"Yeah...except I'm not as proficient with my powers as I used to be..." He trailed off when Zane started shaking his head. He didn't want PIXAL to worry any more than she needed to.

"Looks like we have a welcoming party." Kai pointed to the tower, where thousands of red and purple lights flickered. Nindroid eyes. "I guess the only chance we have of getting in there is to stay out of sight."

"You mean we get to be Ninja for a change? Whoo-hoo!" Jay pumped a fist. "FINALLY!"

"Shush!" Lily elbowed him.

"It's a storm. They're not gonna hear me all the way out here." Jay explained. Knowing he had the ability to control the lightning itself, Lily decided to take a risk and trust him.

"So, you ready for your first stealth mission outside of training?" Cole nudged Lily, giving her a wink. She pulled her mask up in response, nodding.

"I want to stay back. I'm not built for stealth and cannot assist you. Also," She actually seemed to flinch when another bolt of lightning struck in the gray sky. "The lightning's presence will not allow me to function correctly."

"Be safe, and stay out of trouble. I'll see you later." Zane bid her goodbye.

The ninja walked silently across the field. Drained ponds and dry grass were the only remnants of a lush meadow before the storm and farm came around. They ascended the stem of the main control tower. Tubes filled with a neon glow gave the Ninja shadows to hide in. Lily wanted to climb faster, but knew it would only give their position away. As the group finally got to the top after what seemed like the longest 10 minutes of Lily's life, Nya shushed them. There was somebody speaking up top.

"-off the factory line?" The person was saying. "Ran out of metal, eh? I will call you...Min-droid!" There was a bunch of creepy laughter that sounded too much like a broken television. The sound was loud enough for the team to sneak in unseen and unheard.

Cole observed the entry doors to the substation core. "Doors are obviously locked by a passcode that was definitely hacked by the 'Droids, and surrounded by patrols...guess we'll go in the old-school way." Cole pointed to a vent. He walked over and tore the covering off. "Who's first?"

Everything in Lily's mind screamed _NO_. She backed up, very very slowly. If anything, she was gonna be the last one inside. She didn't want to be in a small crawl space, with twists and turns and grates that peeked out into the smoke and flames, where any of the ash floating inside could be her brother's-

"Lily, are you coming?" Kai asked her, his head poking out of the vent.

"I'll keep watch." She said. "I don't like...crawling in small spaces."

Realization seemed to pass through Kai's hazel eyes. "Oh. Okay, you keep the Nindroids off our back, alright? Do. Not. Fight. Them. Just distractions, alright?"

Lily nodded, her chest no longer feeling so compressed. She closed the vent door behind Kai and leapt up to the overhang. With her purple outfit, none of the nindroids would notice her through all the colors that reflected off of them. She saw several pairs walk by, chattering in some strange code.

Finally, one rather short Nindroid came sauntering down the path. He was talking to himself in a language lily could understand, seemingly having an argument in his head. He sounded a lot like Cole and Jay-

Oh. That was Cole and Jay.

Praying she wouldn't be seen, Lily hung down from the overhead. "Guys." She whispered through the vent. "SHUT UP."

They continued to argue about buttons and stuff. Kai joined in by now.

"Guys, _quiet_." The little guy was getting closer.

Still arguing.

Lily lost her cool for a moment. "Guys! Stop arguing, your cover is going to be blown!" She yelled, just as the Min-droid passed her. He stopped turned around, and adjusted his focus, seeing Lily. The arguing finally stopped.

"Hey, there." Lily waved.

The little dude pulled out a sword and sent out a loud signal to the rest of the nindroids. Lily grabbed him and threw him off the side of the building, his rather cute scream barely heard through all the wind. At least 12 Nindroids were at her back in those few seconds. She turned, and cursed under her breath.

"If only I knew spinjitsu." She muttered to herself. "Well, go on! Let's dance!"

Three of them took her up on the offer when a grappling hook from far below shot in their direction. It hit their heads in a straight line, making them fall dented. The hook embedded itself in the metal of the tower, and of all people, or rather droids-

"PIXAL?!" Lily yelled in surprise. The android landed in the group and deployed a small smoke bomb, by overheating one of her hands until it burst into a shower of sparks and wires. She grabbed Lily's hand with her intact one, and they started running for the door. "PIXAL, your hand!" Lily cried out. She wasn't sure if her power worked on androids.

"It is part of my self-defense protocol." PIXAL said. "Do not worry yourself. Wait." She slowed down by a few millimeters. "Why are you not with the Ninja?"

"I couldn't get inside."

"Interesting." PIXAL said to herself. "Where are the Ninja now-AHH!" A bolt of lightning struck the rod at the top of the building, forcing PIXAL to let go of Lily and cower in a small ball.

"PIXAL? PIXAL, are you okay?" Lily shook her. "PIXAL!"

"If it strikes me, my systems will overload and be dead. Lightning is dangerous to me, and it will be attracted to me if I am not careful." She shivered. "I am not being careful."

 _PIXAL has a fear of lightning,_ Lily realized. She swung an arm under PIXAL's hurt one and pulled her up. "We all have things we are afraid of. Don't worry. I'll protect you." She led PIXAL to the entry doors, and ran into Zane. He had burst out of there like a wild animal. His gaze softened a bit when he saw the two. "PIXAL! Lily! Get inside!"

"Zane, PIXAL has a fear of-"

Her words were interrupted by a Nindroid's sword embedding itself in her back. She coughed up blood, several droplets spraying onto Zane's white gi.

"Oh no." PIXAL said. "Probability of survival, 2.21232-"

Lily let go of PIXAL and screamed, ripping the sword out of herself and slamming it into the head of the Nindroid that owned it. Ot fell back, eyes blank and body limp. It was no more than scrap metal now. Her cut hands from grabbing the sword quickly grew new skin over her wounds, and the hole near her spine closed up. Zane sighed in relief.

"Probability of survival, 100 percent. Wait." PIXAL's eye twitched. "That does not compute."

"I have healing powers, PIXAL, now let's go!" She pulled her to the door, where it opened automatically. The ninja had been waiting for them on the other side.

Somebody grabbed PIXAL's hand, and pulled her away. In a last attempt to bring Lily to safety, PIXAL pushed her through the doors. Zane did not follow. They locked shut. 

"PIXAL! ZANE!" Lily cried out, reaching for them. "They're gonna get killed!"

"Hope!" Kai said. "What happened? Is everything okay?"

Her words came out like a broken coke dispenser.

"WellIwasaboutogetkilledthenPIXALcameuptotheroofandsheblewherhandoffdistractingthemthensomedroid-"

"Slow down!" Kai said. "You know what, tell us later. Right now, we need to destroy that thing!" He pointed to the large glowing tub in the room. Lily activated her Techno Blade, gaze locked on it.

"Wait, Lily, we already tried-" Cole started to say.

She started running towards it screaming with her Techno Blade held up above her head, her full intent being to crack the glass and hack it to pieces. Then a tiny whirlwind of red and black shot out of the vents and interrupted her rampage. She stumbled backwards to see who or what it was.

Well, it was a who and a what. It was the tiny Nindroid she had thrown off the side of the building. Apparently he had crawled his way back up for revenge. His head twitched, and he screamed something in the cutest voice at her.

"Great! Now they come in fun-size!" Jay shouted. He threw up his Techno Blade and tried hitting it, but it spun with it's blades out. Jay's blade was struck by the force and hit in in the face.

"Oi!" Lily waved at him. "You interrupted me!"

It growled, and fired a laser from it's eye. Lily dodged it to the side. "WHEN COULD THEY DO THAT?!" She screamed, failing to notice the cracked glass made by the missed shot.

"Hey, half-pint!" Kai leapt in front of the tube. "Over here!" He shook his backside at the Min-droid mockingly, and it responded with another blast. Kai dodged it just barely, singeing the tips of his hair. Only then did Lily realize what he was doing. Fighting without fighting.

"Provoke the little thing more!" Cole yelled. "Or we could...wait a minute! Nya! OPEN THE DOORS!"

"I see where you're headed!" She flipped a switch, allowing an army of nindroids to enter. All of them were very, very angry. Cole smirked, pulled down his mask, and made a face at them. They just stared, confused.

Cole rolled his eyes and started running at them, along with Kai and Jay. Red laser filled the room, Cole sliding under all of them. The glass continued to crack and crack and crack until it finally gave way. "NOW!" They yelled at Lily. She got up and scrambled over to the tube, thrusting her blade into the broken glass.

As she pulled it out, large shards fell away, and the light was no longer contained. The entire thing flickered, and burst through the hole she made. The ninja ducked, and the nindroids were fried by the pure lightning. A shockwave made Lily's bones rattle, and the soft buzz of the machinery died down.

She looked up, and found her friends all safe and sound. She smiled in relief, then remembered.

"ZANE!"

They all rushed outside to find him holding what was left of PIXAL in his arms. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was a very heartfelt conversation, judging by their body language. The last thing she said was loud enough for all of them to hear, though.

"W-w-e are not so d-d-fifferent, are we? We ar-r-e, compatible?" She asked him, her voice box stuttering.

"Yes." Zane said. "Yes we are."

Her eyes lost light, and her fingers slowly drifted from Zane's hand and onto the ground, gravity taking ahold of her body once more. Zane looked down, as if he had lost a piece of himself.

"Zane..." Cole sat down next to him. "I am so sorry."

"We understood each other as androids, in a way I have never felt with anyone else. I..." Zane's hands curled into themselves. "I wanted to talk more with her."

"We'll find a way to get her back, Zane. It's a promise." The Black Ninja said to his friend.

The storm continued to rage on ahead. Lily wondered where they'd be going now. They were so far from New Ninjago City. And she was so hungry, still. Thinking about the long walk back didn't help her stomach stop voicing it's opinions.

"Hey, my parents' place shouldn't be far from here." Jay said. "We can head there for tomorrow."

Lily didn't even know what time it was.


	30. Wild Grape

The group decided to make camp and rest a bit. Bringing PIXAL, they reached the edge of the Wind Farms and the surrounding area, discovering a bunch of wild haborcorn trees to snooze under. The large firs and acorn-like fruit left only some things to be desired.

Zane put PIXAL's body down and began to study it, looking for a way to wake her up somehow. Lily tore several fruits down and used a bit of her power to tear through the hard shells. The others watched with a little bit of disgust and a lot of disbelief as she ate the haborcorn whole. The nutty flavoring in it's soft meaty inside was enough to quell Lily's hunger.

Cole tried doing it himself, but only ended up breaking the fruit open with his bare hands in anger.

Kai stoked the fire as the group laid down on the grass. The night sky was there in all its glory without the light pollution from Ninjago's surrounding settlements. Finally, Zane laid down on the grass, irritated.

"Nothing?" Nya asked him.

"I don't have the tools." He muttered. "But yes, nothing."

"Have you guys ever really seen the stars like this?" Jay asked them. A chorus of no's answered him. "Well, living with my parents, we don't really have a lot of brightly lit cities around us." Jay put one leg over the other, his hands behind his head. "I could see the sky for miles, and my mom always told me about the constellations. You guys really missed out."

"Okay then, Astro Boy, give us your knowledge." Cole joked with him.

"Well, those two stars right there I like to call..." His voice drifted off into the distance as Lily succumbed to sleep. She dreamed about being on a cloud and watching a little plant grow on it, somehow. She then showcased the rather sad looking sapling to a bunch of guys wearing tuxedos and sunglasses.

She awoke to the smell of haborcorns being cooked. Lily yawned and found Zane holding a few over the fire. Everyone else was still pretty much asleep, the sun just starting to rise over the valley. Jay was holding one of the fruits to his chest, Cole was snoring like a whale, and Kai was holding Nya in his arms like a baby. Aww.

"Good morning." Zane said quietly, as not to wake the others. "Did the smell wake you?"

"Mmm-hmm." Lily scuffled over to him. "I haven't had cooked haborcorns in years."

"Then I do hope you enjoy these." Zane said, his gaze flitting over to PIXAL's unconscious body.

"Did you sleep at all?" Lily asked. "You may be a machine, but even robots need their rest Zane."

He shook his head no. "I couldn't. I've just been experimenting all morning." He motioned to a pile of haborcorn fruits made in all different ways. "I like to cook when I'm nervous."

"Right." Lily felt like she needed to talk to him about something, but couldn't remember what.

"Your theory on my power source." He said, as if he read her mind. "You wanted to talk to me about it, remember?"

"Oh, right!" Lily sat up a little straighter. "So, you know how I can see souls?" Zane nodded in response. "Well, I can see yours. It's this...icy blue, and it's beautiful. A-anyways, I accidentally looked at it when you were talking with PIXAL, and she didn't have a glow."

"So she doesn't have a soul you can see?"

"No." Lily confirmed.

Zane shrugged. "That makes sense, since she is a machine. But...so am I. How can you see my soul but not hers?"

"I know, I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw that. But Zane, what's crazy is that your soul is the exact same color as your power source. They have the same patterns and everything." She said. "Whatever your power source is...I think it's your actual soul, Zane." She finally said the words.

Zane allowed the haborcorn to drop into the fire. He looked up at Lily in shock. "You mean..." He murmured. "I have a human soul in my power source?"

"Yes, Zane. That's why you don't need to recharge. That's why you believed you were human for so many years before I met you. It's why I can see your soul."

Zane stared at the crackling fire. "I'm not completely a machine?" Zane said, a little bewildered. "Wait, this raises more questions. How did I get it? Is the soul even mine? Why didn't my father ever tell me about this?"

"Zane, take it easy. It's just a theory. We don't know for sure yet." Lily said, trying to calm him down. "We'll look into it more. Maybe your father did tell you, and you just can't remember, or something else."

"Okay." Zane breathed. "Okay. Sorry. I-I was not ready to hear that kind of idea."

"I should have warned you first. It's my apology." Lily said, looking down at the grass where a group of ants were carrying little pebbles.

Zane's eyes lit up. "This...gives me an idea." He said quietly. "Wake the others, the sun is up."

The desert trek was long and miserable. It was hot, the taste of haborcorns was starting to get old, and everyone was rather thirsty. The sad sight of seeing Zane carry PIXAL's body didn't help the mood. Lily really hoped she didn't just give the poor nindroid an existential crisis that day.

In the sea of sand and more sand, she saw a small junkyard filled with towers of scrap. The closer they got, the better she could read the sign:

_ED AND EDNA'S_

_SCRAP N' JUNK_

(The "S" was off slightly.)

Was this the junkyard Jay said his parents lived in?

An old woman appeared at the gate. She saw Jay and grinned. "Jay! Jay! My baby boy! ED! Jay's here with his friends!"

"What's that Edna? Jay's here?" A voice sounding like an old man shouted back.

"Jay, honey~!" She toddled out from the junkyard and wrapped him up in a hug. She looked like she was in her 60s maybe, and was short compared to her son. Jay hugged her back, although he was clearly embarrassed about the situation. "What are you doing here, honey? Ohhh!" She caught sight of PIXAL. "Is that a new project you've been working on?"

Zane tried his best not to show his irritation at the comment.

"No! No, Ma. That's PIXAL. She's a friend of Zane's." Jay said quickly. "She's got no power, and we came here hoping we could wake her up again." He motioned to the desert. "We're also trying to get to Ninjago City, and we don't have a ride. I was hoping I could scrounge something up here-"

"Well, ain't that swell!" Edna chuckled. "Don't you worry, honeybees, we'll get both of your little quests done before the rooster crows!" She seemed to finally notice Lily's presence. "Oh, who's this? Wait, you look familiar..."

"Right, right, Ma, this is Lily." Jay introduced her. "She's the Violet Ninja, and the newest member of our group."

"Well that's wonderful! Now what are we doing here standin' in the sand? Come on in, get comfy! You look like you could use some rest." She ushered the group into the junkyard. There was an old trailer with a grill and several chairs scattered around it in the midst of the junk. An elderly man poked his head up from behind a car.

"Jay, sonny! What's going on here?"

Jay sighed and started the story all over again.

...

"You're going to what?!"

Zane put a hand over his heart. "I was hoping, if I gave half of my power source to PIXAL, it might be enough for her to wake up. And she won't need to recharge."

"Zane, as far as I know, that's your soul!" Lily put her hands on his shoulders and shook him. "Your very essence! This is dangerous territory we're going into. It could...kill you."

"Is there a certain amount of a soul somebody can have?" Zane asked.

"I...I don't know, but I do know you shouldn't split it. This could go very bad for you, Zane. I know PIXAL means a lot to you, but it's not worth your life."

"But she saved my life!" Zane argued. "This is the least I could do to repay her in kind. Please. I need you to be there and make sure the process goes smoothly."

Lily pursed her baby pink lips together, conflicted. This raised so many questions. Was this ethical? Was this moral? Was Zane getting his soul in the first place even okay?

"Alright." Lily said. "But if anything starts to go wrong, we're pulling out. I don't wanna lose you too."

"You have no idea how much this means to me." Zane said, hugging her. "Thank you."

She looked up at the sky. _Is this right?_ Lily asked.

PIXAL's body was currently laid in a chair inside the Walker's trailer. She looked peaceful. Zane sat down in the chair next to her, fingers groping at his own chest. Nya put down a box of tools and sighed. "Zane, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yes." He said, his voice almost as cold as his element.

Nya frowned and allowed him to open up his gi, revealing his paneled chest. She unscrewed the sheets of metal and gently set aside all the switches, before finding Zane's core. She took a deep breath, awed by it's blue glow. Grabbing a pair of special glasses from the toolbox, she took a closer look at it. It beat in the same succession a real heart would. Upon closer inspection, the soul was actually separated in two pieces, held together by the metal rims around it.

"Final time I'm asking." Nya looked up at him. "There's no turning back."

"I don't intend to." He said boldly.

Nya reached for his core, but her outstretched fingers stopped just before they touched the glassy surface. She looked at Lily, waiting for a cue.

Lily squinted and managed to look in the spirit world on command, a trick she wasn't used to yet. Nya's soul was maroon, flowing in and out like a tornado of fire. She stayed focused on Zane's, and his icy surface. He seemed calm, and did not move a muscle. Lily took his hand. "Do it." She said.

Nya plucked one of the two pieces of his core out from his chest, making Zane cry out. Lily winced, feeling her own heart twinge in pain at the same time. Holding his hand, Lily could hear the thoughts running through Zane's mind.

That hurts! That hurts! But I'm alive...yes, I'm alive, I can feel the chair and Lily's hand. But I can also feel Nya's fingers curled around me...I wonder if I am still connected to my soul somehow? If the theory still proves true, of course. So much evidence, yet I still doubt.

Nya inspected the piece in wonder. "Zane, understand that if anything goes wrong, I'm putting this right back in there, okay?" She said. "I'm not losing you. I'm sorry."

"I understand...completely." Zane slurred with his words a bit, as if he was getting used to his new functionality.

Nya slipped the piece inside Pixal's core battery.

Suddenly, Zane's soul began to move around. All his power seemed to rush around towards his middle, then flow out again. This continued for some time, before it finally settled back down into an icy standstill. He was a dimmer blue than before.

PIXAL, on the other hand, had the exact same thing happen to her, albeit backwards. She was the same color blue as Zane was. The piece of Zane's soul went inside her chest like a disk, and PIXAL awoke with a start. She gasped for air, then realized she had no need to breathe.

Flurries of thoughts ran through their minds, and Lily could hear each and every one of them.

_What is happening?_

_It worked, it worked, it worked...I feel tired, but it worked, she's alive, and here. I'm not alone!_

_I could never process my programming like this before. Peculiar. It always seemed to just happen. Is this how humans "think"? I wonder what-_

_They were right to worry, but still! It worked! Risks should be taken! If there is anybody listening, I send my thanks! She's not gone. We will defeat the-_

Thousands of words streamed through both of their minds at once, and Lily had to let go of Zane's hand, slipping out of the spirit realm. The forced use of her power combined with that sudden rush of information was too much, and her head felt like it was about to split. "I'm good." She wheezed at the others when they looked in her direction. "Headache." She plopped onto the floor and tried to make the room stop spinning.

"You gave me half your power source?" PIXAL cocked an eyebrow, a facial expression she wasn't used to. Then she widened her eyes in surprise, another facial expression she didn't use. "M-my processor does not compute."

"Easy sweetheart." Edna said. "It's a little rough, waking up from a reboot, I know."

"Zane, I'm feeling...wait, I've never _felt_. Zane!" She cried out in a human voice, not robotic and emotionless like she always had before. "Zane, I'm scared. I've never felt anything before!"

"PIXAL, PIXAL, look at me." Zane took her hand and the terrified robot stared at him, trying to breathe but unable to do so. "I understand you must be unable to compute with these new feelings, but just let them work through. Focus on me."

PIXAL nodded, and her voice box made a noise similar to a deep breath.

"What do you feel?" Zane asked calmly.

"Confusion. F-fear. More confusion. Happiness?" She said aloud. "I feel alive, Zane."

Edna put a hand to her cheek. "Oh, how sweet. If you two could cook up the sugar Nya and Jay make-"

"Nya and Jay?" PIXAL allowed her regular programming to take over for a moment. "Nya and Jay are not considered perfect match compatible. Nya and Cole, however, is a much better option."

"What?" Edna said, puzzled.

"Don't you mean Nya and Jay are compatible?" Zane said. "Perhaps your processor is not functioning the same after the implantation."

"My processor is functioning at 100% capability, Zane." She reassured him.

"Excuse me..." Lily got up, shaking her head from side to side. "Did she just say she shipped Nya and Cole?"

"'Ship' is a rather informal term for it, but yes." PIXAL said. "Nya, according to my data your perfect match is not Jay, but Cole." She blinked. "Now excuse me while I...think, some more."

"Deep breaths, PIXAL." Zane coached her. "Or, whatever it is you do that helps calm you."

"Calculations! 1 times 2 is calculated to be 2, Nya and Cole are calculated to be a perfect match-"

"S-stop that!" Nya finally sputtered.

"Nya?" Somebody said behind the group. They all turned around to find Jay, standing and looking rather deflated. "Did she just say Cole is your 'perfect match'?" His blue eyes were full of disbelief.

Nya got up slowly. She walked over to her boyfriend and reached for his hand. "Jay-"

The door to the trailer burst open with a loud bang. Cole and Kai wandered inside. "So quiet in here." Cole mused. "What, did I miss another Jay gut-buster or something?" He joked.

Lily tried to signal for him to shut up, but she was too late. Jay turned around, his eyes furious and seemingly crackling with energy. "YOU BACKSTABBING NO GOOD-!" He leapt at Cole, decking him across the face.


	31. Hyacinth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first coming out scene I have written. I'm sorry if I was...inaccurate, in how this would have gone. Please, don't hesitate to critique me on this.

Cole staggered back, holding his cheek. "What's wrong with you?!"

"JAY!" Kai scolded his teammate. "What was that for?"

"You cheater! Going behind my back!" Jay punched Cole again. "I thought we were friends!"

"What do you mean?!" He now brought his fists up, blocking Jay's jabs at him. "Why are you so mad at me? What'aye do?"

"You know perfectly well what you did!" Jay screamed. "Stop playing dumb!" His hair was sticking up like static, he was so angry. Lily tried to clear her head and walk over, but the world turned the other way and she fell to a knee. Lily clutched her head, trying to drown out the ringing.

"Hold up. Jay, do-do you think I went behind your back with Nya?!" Cole put the pieces together. "Dude, I would never do that to you!"

"Then why does PIXAL claim you're her perfect match?! Huh?!"

"I-she-what?!" Cole gawked at the silver droid, who stared back in confusion. "That's not true! I mean, Nya's cute, sure, but-"

"SO YOU ADMIT IT!" Jay did an uppercut towards Cole's jaw.

He yelped, rubbing the bruised skin. "Alright, that DOES IT!" The Black Ninja screamed.

Lily watched in disdain as the two best friends resorted to backtalk and other minor injuries over the misunderstanding. Their anger fueled the other, and with her blinding headache Lily could only stand back and watch the events unfold. Nya had her face in her hands, red as a tomato over all of this.

"Oh, you know why you're the Black Ninja? 'Cause it's the color of your heart!" Jay pushed Cole hard, making him stumble.

"Oh yeah? Well what's the point in being a Blue Ninja?" He retorted. "Unless you're trying to hide out in some goofy clown college!"

"You take that back! There are some reputable performers that attend clown college!" Jay yelled, kicking Cole in the shin.

PIXAL cocked her head to the side. "I do not understand why they are making such a big fuss. This is simply a misunderstanding." She said.

Zane bit his lip. "It's more complicated than that."

Nya had enough of the fighting, and stood up with her hands clenched at her sides. "This macho stuff is making you both look like fools. Maybe you two belong together!" She pointed at them.

Jay stopped, his hand gripping the front of Cole's gi and stared. "Excuse me?"

Cole snorted. "W-why would you think that?"

Nya crossed her arms and tapped her foot, irritated. "Just _look_ at the two of you."

In their fight, the two had ended up on the floor in a...suggestive position. Jay got off of Cole, dusting his gi.

"Don't worry. Because like him," He pointed at Cole, "I only have eyes for somebody that's taken."

"Jay, I DO NOT LIKE HER." Cole got up. Veins were popping up on his forehead, he was so angry. "I would never do anything like dating her behind your back! Besides, I already have eyes for a different guy, so-!" Cole went silent. "I-I...uh. I meant...uh..."

Jay peered at his teammate. "Cole? Did you say another _guy_?"

Cole stayed silent. He brought his hands up to his mouth shakily, and he looked around the room.

"Cole?" PIXAL asked. "Are you homosexual?"

The moment the word left her mouth, Cole's face went beet red, and he bolted for the door. "Cole, wait!" Kai reached for his friend, but Cole smacked him away. His eyes were wet, and he practically tore the door open and ran for the hills of scrap. Lily stared at the scene that just unfolded before her.

Jay grumbled, shifting his weight. "Nya...do you have any other secrets 'a girl's gotta have'?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, displeased by his tone.

"Forgive my distrust, but a lot's happened as you can see." Jay turned towards his girlfriend. "If Cole's not into you, then...have you been wanting him behind my back?!"

Nya's eyes burned with fire. "NO! Jay, I would never do that! I'd never cheat on you, never! That's a horrible thing to do."

"I didn't say cheat, I said want. Have you been wanting to date him?!"

"I..." Nya trailed off. "Only after I heard about the match." She said.

"Why didn't you tell me? I trusted you, Nya!" Jay said, and with each word his voice growing louder. "Are you some kind of...kind of player?!" He yelled, his anger overtaking his judgement.

Nya gasped. " _Take that back_! You know me, Jay! I was conflicted! I didn't want to tell you about my feelings for Cole because I didn't want to ruin our relationship!" She explained.

"And look where that got us!" Jay barked. "Maybe we should all date, move in and have-"

"ENOUGH!" Lily screamed.

Heads whipped towards her loud, shrill voice. She stared daggers at the two lovers. "I have had enough of this drama. Just stop dating altogether until you figure out this mess! Better yet, don't even pretend you know each other until we reboot the system and destroy the Overlord! Why? Because he's the real problem! NOT THIS STUPID LOVE TRIANGLE!" She left the trailer abruptly. Her eyes stung. She found a nice spot out of view of the trailer and sat down in the sand, trying to mold her mind around everything.

"Ahem." Cole said, sitting next to her. Lily jumped up. She started to walk away, give him some space, before he called her back hesitantly. "Wait, Lily!"

She turned with questioning eyes.

"I never said for you to go." He said. "Actually...can we talk? Please?"

Lily sat down next to him. "Cole, I'm so sorry for what happened-"

"Wait!" Cole sighed. "Can we please, PLEASE keep this between us? Please? I've already said a lot in front of everyone else."

Lily nodded. "I won't say a word until you give me the word, Cole." She promised. "Pinky swear." A little lavender tinted pinky popped out from her hand. Cole gently curled his light brown pinky around it and they shook fingers.

"I'm not gay." He said. "I'm bisexual."

Lily blinked, startled by this revelation. That made a lot more sense, knowing Cole. He continued to speak, hunching over a bit in the sand. "I found out when I was...ten, maybe? My dad doesn't know, although I doubt he'd have cared at the time. I really liked this guy at my old dancing school, and for a few years I thought I was gay. Then I met this cute red-head on the run, and I realized what was up." Dark green pools stared into the void. "I didn't want everyone to know just yet. I wasn't ready, and look what I did. What Jay did. What...PIXAL did."

Lily put a hand over Cole's calloused one, rubbing it affectionately. "Cole, I can tell Jay's just angry. I'm sure he doesn't hate you. And PIXAL, well, PIXAL's still a machine. She probably has no clue concerning the whole 'coming out' process and how much it may mean to you."

Cole nodded, taking in the information. He let out a long sigh, his dark hair swinging around his face as the wind blew. "Thank you, Lily. For listening. I needed to get that out-"

They were interrupted by a loud whirring noise, and a clang of metal. The two got up and ran to the trailer, only to find a rectangular shaped beach of sand. High above them, their friends dangled by a magnetic crane. In the cockpit was a small, short nindroid.

Cole pulled up his mask. "How are they functioning?! We destroyed the power."

"Maybe they had a little recharge left?" Lily pulled her mask onto her face as well. "We gotta sort this out."

The trailer above them started to swing around in circles, and somebody was firing lasers at them. Lily saw an armored nindroid standing atop a mountain of junk. Cole cracked his knuckles. "I'll take care of T-1000 over there. You handle the shorty, got it?"

"Perfect. I believe we have a rematch!" Sand flew, her feet stomping along to reach the cockpit of the little nindroid. He yelped when he saw her, and responded by pressing a large red button. The trailer stoping spinning and dropped to the ground. "NO!" Lily screamed, leaping for the buttons on the console.

"NINJA-GO!" Several tornados hit the tiny nindroid at the same time, revealing Kai holding Nya, Jay, and...just them?

"Thanks you guys!" Lily got up and hugged Kai as he let Nya go. "Where's Zane and PIXAL?"

"Right here-" Kai pointed next to the group, and did a double take. "Zane! PIXAL!" He looked up, searching for two androids who may have climbed their way onto the crane. All he found was Cole being choke-held over the drop by the nindroid in armor. "Cole!" He yelled for his friend. The armored nindroid noticed him and dropped the Earth Ninja towards the ground.

Lily ran for him. She managed to catch him just as he hit the ground, and the two tumbled into a pile of metal sheets. Cole hunched the sheets away in a weak blast of dust. "T-thanks." He said. "I coulda handled him on my own."

"No, you couldn't." Lily said sternly. She caught sight of Zane and PIXAL a few yards away, huddled in the sand. They were alright, she could feel it. Kai and Jay ran up to Cole.

Cole inched back a little. "About what happened-"

"We can worry about that later. Right now we have a junkyard to defend." Jay said.

Cole looked at the Blue Ninja and rolled his eyes. "Finally, something we agree on." He quipped. "Come on!" The two sped away, in the direction of the armored nindroid, when the sand beneath them washed away and they fell.

"GUYS!"

"It's a trash compactor. But who activated it?!" Kai wondered aloud. "Never mind, we gotta go help Zane."

"That will not be necessary." A familiar but mechanical voice said.

A metal staff jutted out from Kai's gut.

Lily lost her ability to breathe, only watching as the staff retracted and Kai crumpled to the ground, blood smearing his crimson outfit. She turned around to see the attacker.

It was Sensei Wu.

But he was all wrong. He had a black beard that buzzed with nanites. His once kind, golden eyes were red. He wore a suit of armor, something he would never approve of wearing, and his conical hat looked sharp to the touch. Lily's first instinct? Grab Kai and run.

She hoisted his body into her arms, barely dodging the throwing of his bladed hat. She used her power to carry and run a little faster, all the way over to the side of the junkyard. "ZANE!" She called out. "KAI IS INJURED! BUY ME SOME TIME!"

The nindroid nodded, although his face held a few wrinkles of doubt in his task.

She laid Kai onto the sand, and he cried out in pain. Lily tore open his gi, the gaping wound painting his torso red. She kissed her fingers for good luck and laid it over the wound. Purple light began to stream from her veins and into his skin. Kai melted into the feeling, sighing in content.

Lily had recently discovered how to heal her teammates, but it came with a price. If she did it too much in one go, she'd end up passing out. Right now was NOT a good time. The soul exchange earlier and even just running over here had already taken a toll on her body; and Lily wasn't sure she'd last long enough to heal Kai completely. Sweat beaded on her skin, but Lily forced herself to stay awake. The screaming headache returned.

"Lily...thank you." Kai mumbled. "I feel better now."

"Wait." Lily poured in the last few ounces of energy she had and fell to the ground in a heap. Kai sat up, inspecting his newly made red scar, then saw Lily passed out. He shook her.

"Lils? Oh no..." He saw Sensei Wu walking towards them, his bloody staff leaving a line in the sand. He wasn't about to fight the guy who almost killed him right after Lily healed him. He swung her over his shoulder with ease and used Spinjitsu to leave Wu in the dust. He unsheathed his Techno Blade, hoping to use it to reprogram Wu back into his normal self. What had they done to him?!


	32. Azalea

Lily could barely hear the sounds of fighting. She heard Cole and Jay still lashing at each other. She heard Kai calling for help. Nya was the only one who actually tried to fight him, it seemed. Lily struggled to open her eyes and just _do_ something rather than lay around. There was a loud clang, and the drawing of a bowstring. Something big hit the ground, shaking her to the core. She opened her eyes just a little, and found Kai still holding her.

"Wh..." She mumbled.

"Don't, you need your rest." Zane sad, walking up. She weakly batted him away, and sat up.

"I'm...ff..." She fell forward, and Kai caught her with one hand. He sighed in annoyance.

"You're just like Nya."

"That better not be an insult!" She spat back at her brother, who only smiled cheekily in response.

"Let's get into the hover car. We should return to the city, find some answers." Cole suggested. "Clearly something is powering these nindroids, and I do not like it."

They climbed into the flying vehicle, Kai laying Lily down in one of the seats. She let out a loud snore from the shifting of her body. Fingering the stained blood on his gi, Kai sat down with the others. Nya was piloting the machine, and Cole sat a little ways away from the group.

"Hey, Cole." Kai said. "You know we don't care."

Cole looked over, raising an eyebrow. "Please be more specific." He said.

"About you liking guys. That doesn't matter. You're still our brother and a part of this team."

"I'm with Kai." Jay agreed. "I'm mad at you, definitely, but not about that."

"A person's sexuality doesn't matter at all to me. Only if they are happy." Zane said.

Cole, looked at them and his face softened a little. He turned away, still clearly embarrassed. "That wasn't how I wanted to tell you guys..."

"What? Did you plan to burst out of a rainbow cake and yell 'Surprise! I'm gay'?" Jay asked, doing jazz hands.

Cole chuckled. "Well, I'm actually bi, but that doesn't sound too horrible of an idea."

Kai laughed. "Are you gonna tell us who you're interested in?" He was met with a cold, moss-stone stare from Cole. "Right. Shutting up."

Lily's eyes fluttered open, and she yawned. "What, what idea?" She sat up, stretching her arms. "Where are we?"

"We're here! New Ninjago City is right below us." Nya said. "Yeesh. The streets look trashed."

"How trashed?" Zane asked.

"Cars piled up trashed..." She said. "I don't like the look of this."

Lily slapped her cheeks to help wake herself up. She stood and brandished her Techno Blade with the others. "Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad ideas, but there might be trouble." The five hopped out of the hover-car, landing amongst the dust and scraps of metal. A wall of cars loomed before them. The asphalt beneath their feet smelled like gasoline.

"What happened here?" Jay wondered aloud. "And that smell..."

Zane's head snapped up. "RUN, NOW!" He yelled, suddenly booking it in the other direction.. The others looked at him in confusion, but followed him to where Zane deemed was a safe area. As they looked back, there was a sizzling noise, and the area in front of the pile-up erupted into a wall of flames. Jay squinted, then saw the fire licking at the many cars around it.

"TAKE COVER!" He screamed.

The cars exploded into a mass of scrap and melted leather. The ninja ran into an alleyway, ducking as the wreckage zoomed past them. Kai poked his head out from the corner, and narrowly dodged a flaming tire. He cleared his throat and stepped out. "A-all clear, now..." He said, still shaken up.

Where there used to be a nice selection of abandoned stores now sat a large pothole, with pieces of car lit aflame all around. The hover-car and Nya had smartly flown further away, wanting to avoid the explosion as well.

Standing around the smoldering heaps were people dressed in studs, spikes, and horribly ragged clothing. They held up what looked like weapons scrounged up in a kitchen, and yelled curses at the Ninja. Lily, for a split second, saw those colors dancing behind her eyes like she always used to.

Turns out, when she had those "hallucinations" in the past, it was her actually looking into the spirit realm and bonding with the feelings of the people for a temporary amount of time. She still hand't entirely learned how to control these visions. When she came out of it, Lily felt uncharacteristically angry and bored. She frowned.

"They've gone insane, and all because of no technology." She growled.

"Yeesh." The ninja cautiously walked up to them, still checking for gasoline traps and what-not. The people stared at them as if they were rabid dogs.

Cole walked up to them. "Hey! That little trap you had set-"

"All visitors must relay to the Postman!" One man declared, wielding a base-ball bat with barbed wire strung around it. He swung it in the direction of The Postman in question. He looked at them from under his purple messengers hat, his half-lidded eyes gazing with little contempt. After a moment, he held up his spoon ladle and declared them to "return to sender".

The crowd cheered.

"As I was saying..." Cole growled. "YOU ALMOST KILLED US WITH THAT EXPLOSION!"

The crowd quieted down. One woman looked over at her colleague. "I told you we shouldn't have used gasoline so close to the cars, Karen." She sneered.

"Have we gone too far with this?" One man wondered aloud.

"ENOUGH! All of you!" A familiar voice called from behind the crowd. They parted to reveal a man in a wheelchair. "In my opinion you were far gone the moment you started this role-play, but that's not important right now. I'm just so glad," The speaker was Cyrus Borg, alive and wheeling around. "That you ninja are all here." His face had several scars on it, but other than that he grinned happily.

PIXAL joined the ninja, along with Nya. The hover-car settled onto the pavement, and PIXAL's eyes lit up upon seeing her creator. "Mr. Borg!"

"PIXAL! You're-you're still working? Amazing!" He whelped over to her as they embraced. She broke the hug, putting a finger to his face. "Mr. Borg, you have injuries. What happened to you?"

"Nothing I couldn't wheel away from." He looked down at his wheelchair, amused with himself. " E-either way, Ninja! Are the Techno Blades safe?"

"Yes." Zane said. "But the hard-drive?"

"Right. Unfortunately, the hard drive was stolen with the digital imprint of the Overlord. You'll be unable to erase him until it is found." He explained, his long fingers tapping the armrests of his wheelchair.

Jay put a hand up. "Hold on! I have a lead!" He dug into the folds of his gi and pulled out a white scale. Lily didn't remember seeing that but it didn't seem abnormal. "I think we might have already had a little run in with the red-handed suspect. Or white-scaled, I should say." Jay showed it off to Cyrus. "Get this, he's serpentine!"

"Serpentine...?" Cyrus echoed, eyeing the scale.

"Those snake guys that unleashed the Great Devourer a year ago?" Lily asked.

"Actually it was two years ago." Zane said. "You were asleep, remember?"

Ever since she woke up, her sense of time had been very muddled. Lily remembered seeing the broadcast about the giant serpent rampaging on Ninjago City. She was still living with her father at the time. She remembered him mumbling about how drunk he must be and tossing his beer can to the floor.

Cole tore a covering from the street, leading down into the evacuation passages. "The Serpentine have been buried inside the Tomb of the Stone Army, but if this white guy is out it must mean they found a way to escape. We should go have a talk." He poked his head inside. "Smells great." He said sarcastically.

"Approach with caution. I've also lost a few valuable prototypes. He may be armed and extremely dangerous." Cyrus warned them.

Lily stared into the depths of the hole. It seemed so small and compact. She didn't like it...

Kai looked over. "Hey, is everything-"

She jumped into the hole, completely ignoring the ladder and landing at the bottom. Her legs shook from the aftershock, but she was fine. Lily stood up and moved aside so the others could follow. She saw the images of Nya, Cole, and Jay descending. Lily waited patiently for them, ignoring the little bits of chatter, when a rusty rung of the ladder fell next to her. Lily looked up, and saw Nya dangling. Cole and Jay, meanwhile, were arguing. Again.

"You said you like girls _and_ guys! That means you may still wanna go out with Nya after all of this!"

"Dude, I literally came out by saying I have eyes eyes on another guy!"

"Well, then who is it? Who?"

"Why in the world do you think I'll tell you that?! Also, didn't you and Nya break up?!"

"We're just taking a break, not actually breaking up!"

Clearly, Jay still had feelings for his girlfriend, and the two boys still had some pent-up rage against each other.

"Nya, let go, I'll catch you!" Lily held her arms out to the samurai. Nya sighed and let go, screaming until she tumbled into Lily's outstretched arms. Lily staggered back, and the two girls fell over in a heap. Nya shot dirty looks at the arguing men.

"My knights in shining armor." She got up, dusting off her dress. "Thanks for the catch, Lily." She fumbled for her phone and turned on it's flashlight, waving it around the corridor.

"It's so quiet in here." Lily observed. "It's creeping me out."

"At least we are together." Zane said, smiling at her. Despite the shadows casting over his smile, Lily felt a little more relaxed.

As the group wandered aimlessly through the cobblestone halls, Kai tried to make small talk. "So..." He started. "Does anybody here have a phobia of some kind?"

"Why do you ask?" Jay said.

"It's dark, and it got me thinking. I'll go first. Ever since I fell into this river when I was little, I've have a fear of water. Cole, next?"

"Supernatural stuff." Cole shivered. "I don't know why, but horror movies with demons and ghosts? That creeps me out."

"Never being able to speak my mind." Jay said. "I feel like if I can't communicate, my ideas don't matter to anybody. Oh, and attics. Long story."

"Abandonment." said Zane, simply.

"Small spaces and fires." Lily answered. "You can guess why." She mumbled under her breath.

Nya put a finger to her chin. "For me, I suppose it's being unable to do anything at all." She looked down at the ground, the gray stone changing into orange sedimentary. "I think we're getting close."

Lily wondered how PIXAL was doing above them.

...

PIXAL quietly chewed a nail. She and her father Cyrus were currently inspecting her newly powered design. She wanted to understand better how she could feel emotions and think thoughts. Yet for some reason, she now felt...embarrassed, with her clothing discarded. Even though all that was beneath was that of a store mannequin, but still. It bothered her.

Cyrus looked at his creation. "Is there an anomaly?" He asked her. It was their way of saying "is there a problem?".

"I feel...bothered." She said. "Having my garments no longer on me."

"Oh, I see..." Cyrus pondered this revelation for a moment. "Don't worry, you're with me. Would you feel better having just your torso uncovered?"

"Yes."

Now wearing only the bottom part of her dress, PIXAL allowed her father to look at her inner workings. Strange. She had never minded him looking beneath her skin for a routine inspection, but now it felt awkward. But it shouldn't. It was just machinery and wires, nothing more. Right?

Her cheeks started to overheat. PIXAL reached a hand up and touched them, shivering a bit at the contact between her cold skin and her warm face.

"PIXAL, you are clearly stressed. We can do this another time." Cyrus closed up her chest compartment, and she quickly slipped on the sleeves. "You're blushing, dear, did you notice that?"

"Blushing? That is a thing humans do when they feel...oh." That's why her face was hot. "Mr. Borg, please forgive me. I'm being unprofessional."

"No, you're just being human." He corrected her. "It must have something to do with the power source being a part of Zane. You're gaining his qualities."

"I remember Zane blushing when I repaired him. Perhaps I will feel the same way too, from now on." She sighed, curling her arms around herself. "I do not feel happy."

"Then what do you feel?" Cyrus asked, concerned about her.

"...Alone."


	33. Anthurium

"It smells like snakes." Cole complained. "Eugh."

They had come across a rather impressive door. It had weird markings carved on it, and a glowing green crack running through it's middle. Kai whistled. "The Tomb of the Stone Army. It's been sealed since the Serpentine were trapped here."

Lily grimaced, remembering the attack on Ninjago city.

"It appears the seal has been opened." Zane said. "...That was obvious, but I still felt the need to point it out."

Lily thought she heard something sliding across the rocky floor, and turned around. She found her nose bumping along the snout of a large cobra.

She screamed, punching him and backing up. The cobra wailed, hissing and dropping his bag...wait, bag? Since when did giant snakes carry groceries?

Oh. This must be a Serpentine.

Lily lowered her fists. "I am so sorry, you startled me!" She said. The cobra shook his head and gave her a glare, his red eyes almost hypnotic.

"Perhaps I should bite your head off once you startled me." He said dryly. She could see his fangs. The most unsettling feeling came to her stomach. He sighed and picked up his bag. "Why is my day being interrupted by my enemies? Yes, I still hate you you know."

"Do you have white snakes? Or scales?" Jay asked him, hands on his hips.

The cobra was a little taken aback by this comment. "...Why?"

"There's white on his collar. Search his bag!" Cole yelled.

"Woah! Hey, don't-give that back! Ugh." He curled his long tail round himself and tapped the end of it impatiently. "This is why I still hate you."

"Here! It's...food and a newspaper?" Kai looked at the snake.

He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for the crosswords." He hissed a bit with each 's'. "Now please go away before I decide to eat you all."

"Daddy?"

The snake sighed. "And there's my moral compass, right on time. SJ! You shouldn't be out here." He slithered through the group, Lily taking careful steps to avoid stepping on that huge tail of his. The snake reunited with two other Serpentine at the door. One had gleaming purple scales, the other was a smaller version of the cobra, with two scaly legs. "There are humans around."

"She punched you! I saw!" The child whined.

"I'm sorry!" Lily called out to them. "I was scared!"

"Well, _I'm_ scared right now, so I guess I'll just kick your butt, huh?" SJ rolled up the sleeves of his jacket, but the cobra stopped him with a long scaly arm.

"Skales Jr., we do not stoop down to the level of the humans. Back down now." He hissed. SJ grumbled and backed up, hissing at Lily.

"You have a son?" Kai asked, staring at the three snakes. Behind him, Cole mouthed "How?".

Skales rolled his eyes. "We've been busy since you left us alone. And we'd prefer you keep it that way."

"Is this about the Golden Master?" SJ asked. "Are we in trouble?"

"What? Do you mean Lloyd?" Zane interrupted.

Skales sighed. "We have our own legends, as do you. But I suppose in our version, you're the bad guys." He chuckled to himself.

"What legends?" Nya asked, curious.

Skales hesitated at this. The purple-scaled snake nudged him. "They have a right to know. If we're going to shed a new skin, we must open our home to others. We've been waiting for a chance, and now we have it. And I'm sure the purple one didn't mean to hurt you."

"Oh, all right." Skales opened the door wider, the crack in the middle growing to reveal a lighted area inside. "Let's go, surface dwellers. If you'd like to hear of the Curse of the Golden Master, follow me." He said, irritation and sarcasm dripping in his voice.

Inside the cave was a beautiful little civilization, with mushrooms and glowing lanterns. There were dens everywhere, and in the beauty of it Lily found herself wandering. Serpentine of all kinds inhabited the place. Two headed-snakes, snakes with multiple eyes, etc. They were freaky, but they were just sitting around, chatting, playing, being like humans up above. That certainly helped Lily not feel so bothered. Lily felt compelled to take a peek inside one room that had flora and vines around the entrance.

Inside the den were eggs. Piles and piles of little tiny eggs, each one housing a tiny snake. In the corner of the room, a black and orange scaled Serpentine with spikes along her back flicked her tongue at one little egg, which was moving and shaking rapidly. "Come on, little one." She said. "You're almost there."

A spike shot through the layers of the egg, and it pulled the covering away. A small, legless baby Serpentine flopped out, flicking their teensy tongue and getting a feel for the soft surroundings. The mother snake shed a tear. "You did it! You did it, you're here now!" The snake opened it's eyes and locked it's gaze with the mother, and Lily could recognize that as an imprinting. It purred softly and started to inch towards her hand.

Lily smiled. It was so cute, she felt a little faint. The mother picked up the child and held it close, when she saw Lily. "Oh! A surface dweller!"

"I'm sorry for intruding!" Lily started turning away.

"No no! It's alright. I was wondering when we'd finally open our doors." She smiled, nuzzling the baby snake. "You just saw the miracle of birth!"

"In our society that sentence has a much weirder meaning." Lily plainly said, stepping into the room. "But, congratulations on the little snek. They are adorable." Just as she turned around to find the others, Lily felt something rub against her foot.

She looked down, and saw a tiny egg with a long split in it's soft shell. Horrified that she may have stepped on it, lily bent down to look at the soft-shelled home.

A little tail was starting to wriggle out of the crack.

"No, not yet! Where is your mother?" She scooped up the egg and stood up. "There's an egg hatching, and there's no parent!" She yelled. "Please stay inside, I'm not your mom." This only seemed to urge the little one to hatch faster. "Somebody? Somesnake? HATCHING EGG WITH NO MOTHER!"

"Oh dear," Was all the mother snake could say.

The egg broke open. A small, slime-covered snake plopped out onto Lily's hand. She gasped and closed her eyes. "A SNAKE HAS HATCHED! NO PARENTS AROUND!"

"Please don't yell." The mother snake chided. "It's not good for the eggs."

"S-sorry, but this little snake has no parent-" Lily made the mistake of looking down at it. It opened it's four eyes and stared directly at her, flicking it's tongue. After a moment, it made this soft purring noise.

"Oh no." Lily said.

_It was time for her to come out. She was excited. She felt mommy pick her up. With all her might she bit away the shell that kept her away from mommy. Cold air hit her, but her mommy's hands were warmer than she expected. She opened her four eyes, and saw her mommy's face. She also looked different. But she was there, and she was holding her and keeping her warm. That was most surely her mommy. She loved mommy._

Lily was torn between awe regarding the memory and disdain for the new responsibility. The mother snake sighed, biting her lip with a fang. "Well, they do have a parent now."

The baby was a shade of dark green, and it flopped over on it's side, flicking it's tongue at her. Lily continued to stare at the snake. "What do I do now? I don't know anything about baby snakes." It started to move like an inchworm up to her arm.

"Well, us Serpentine secret special fluids from our...right, you can't do that." The mother snake dropped the idea all together when she saw Lily's face turn the same shade of green as her new snake child. "Well, why don't you go back to your friends? I'm sure you and your little one could use some bonding time together."

"How do you know I came here with people?"

She flicked her tongue at her. "I can smell them."

"O-oh..." Lily looked back at the snake, which had successfully managed to turn over on it's side. It's head was a bit bigger than the rest of it's body, giving it the appearance of a tadpole without fins. She ran a thumb over it's soft scales, and it closed it's eyes in content. "How do I know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"The scale design on the back. Let me see." She beckoned Lily over, her own child haven taken refuge curled around a spike on her head. "Hmm...I'd say you were blessed with a fine young lady."

"I'm not so sure about blessed, but thank you?" Lily cleared her throat. "W-what's your name?"

"Duga." She said, smiling. "I'll call for a handmaiden to see you. You go to your friends. Just keep the baby warm and in contact with your scales-I mean, skin. And don't worry. Serpentine youth are very durable, you'd be surprised." She grinned, showing her fangs. "I wish you luck, little sister."

Lily just nodded, tucked the little baby into her bra, and left the nesting room. She felt the baby poke it's head out to stare at her chin.

_Did I just become a mother to a snake at 16?_

_Wait, I was passed out for a year. How old am I again?_

_I should name this little thing._

"Clover." She said quietly. Paying homage to her Scots-Irish heritage, she gave the snake the same name as the dark green shamrocks her grandmother always had in her yard. She closed her eyes, trying to find where her friends had gone...

A campfire near the middle of the tomb.

Lily wanted to run there, but she worried for Clover. She walked along steadily, hoping none of the other snakes could smell Clover hiding in her gi. The little snake had no fangs, and was content with chewing mindlessly on the fabric of Lily's gi. After the most anxious walk she had ever taken, Lily saw her friends and a Serpentine the same color as Clover gathered around a fire.

"...Curse of the Golden Master, when he who had the powers equal to the First Spinjitzu Master would rise and usher in the last of the setting suns." The dark green Serpentine was saying. "With no equal adversary, his power will go unmatched. His destructive rule will change the face of the world, and he will not stop until every man, woman, and Serpentine are enslaved under his control." He took a deep breath, not noticing Lily walking up.

"The Serpentine tried to warn the land dwellers, but they wouldn't listen. They thought we were the enemy, though we were only trying to prevent the prophecy of the Golden Master's terrible reign. After the war, we were forced to retreat beneath the soil, promising to never retur-WHY DO YOU HAVE A SERPENTINE YOUNGLING IN YOUR SHIRT?!"

He turned around and pointed a scaly finger at Lily, who only let out a small squeak in response. Clover shifted two of her four eyes at the snake, and stuck her tongue out at him. It appears she could recognize one of her own tribal species.

The others did a double-take at the ground next to them, then back to Lily and Clover. "I thought you were with us!" Jay said, in disbelief. "And...is that a snake?"

"Her name is Clover." Lily found herself correcting him. "I...I looked inside the nesting room, and there was this egg. It started hatching and there were no parents and Clover imprinted on me and Duga said I needed to keep it and-"

"Enough rambling!" Skales said. "I never should have let you out of my sight. Now you have a Serpentine young in your b....hands, and you have no clue how to nurture it!"

"It wasn't my fault! I tried calling for somebody." Clover yawned lazily, and started to slither out unceremoniously. "Can I give her to another snake?"

"Absolutely not!" The four-eyed general slammed his staff on the ground. "She has already imprinted on you. Giving her to another would inflict horrible trauma upon her mind. Unless you were to die, she is now in your care."

Lily caught Clover before she fell out of her shirt and onto the ground. Clover looked at her, as if she was asking " _What will you do, mommy?_ "

Zane stood up. "Acidicus. Give me everything you know about Serpentine young. Every bit of information, every book, every word."

Acidicus stared at the nindroid. "Why? You are not the one raising the child."

"No." He gave Lily a soft smile. "But what kind of friend would I be if I didn't help do so?"

...

"I am so sorry." Lily said, cradling the snake in her palms. "I...I messed everything up. Now we have a little Serpentine baby to take care of on top of everything else."

"It's not your fault, it just happened." Nya reassured her. "Don't worry. This just gives us more of a reason to defeat the Overlord. To protect little Clover here."

"I'm-"

"Seriously, apologize one more time and I'll go nuts. _Lily_. You're _fine_." Cole said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "We can watch over a snake. Compared to past stuff we've done, this'll be cake."

"Er, somewhat." Zane sat down, and held out a bottle of green-white liquid. "Give this to her. It's the natural fluids all Serpentine young get from their mothers."

Everyone let out a collective "ewwwww". Lily took the bottle and raised the pointed tip to Clover's mouth. She latched on like a snake would, her tail wriggling in the air as she suckled on the bottle's contents. While Lily fed the eager snake, the others discussed the Golden Master legend's connection to Lloyd.

"I can't believe they think Lloyd could become the Golden Master." 

"Well, he _is_ the son of Lord Garmadon." Jay theorized, leaning up gains a tree. "It probably won't happen, but it's possible."

"What I want to know is, if none of them took the hard drive, who else could it be?" Nya tapped a finger against her thigh. "I just can't handle not knowing the truth when it's so close-"

"We're under attack!" A snake leapt into view. "Protect the young!"

Lily responded by tugging Clover off the bottle and stuffing her back inside her bra, making the little snake squeal in protest. Ignoring the thrashing inside her shirt, Lily cracked her knuckles and looked for her first target. She didn't feel comfortable about rushing into battle with Clover.

Zane stood behind her, arms out in a stance. "If only I could use Spinjitsu. Without PIXAL, my technique is barely adequate." He complained.

"What evil have you brought here?" Skales slithered up to him, his red eyes morphing into slits.

"Sorry about that. We didn't know we were being followed." He hastily explained.

Lily swung her arms under his. "Well, I can't spin either, so let's just work together!" Zane nodded. Groaning, she picked him up and swung around, launching him into a group of Nindroids. They fell like dominos. Now really worried, Lily dug for Clover and handed the screaming snake to Skales. "Watch over her for me please."

Skales nodded. Clover wailed and thrashed in his hands, wanting to go back to her "mother".

Lily regrettably left her baby snake behind and went to fight the onslaught of Nindroids. One walked up to her and attempted to strike her neck.

She was quick enough to be spared of a nasty wound, although there was a graze, and twisted so that she had her legs around his neck. She cracked his neck, making the Nindroid sputter and start walking around in endless circles. The rest of the Ninja joined up with her, making a reverse huddle to face the enemy from all directions.

There was a pang in Lily's chest. She turned, the worst fear having come true, and saw Skales on the ground where she had left him with Clover. Blood leaked from his mouth, and the heavily armored Nindroid stood over him, digging his heel into his side. In his hand was a screaming Clover.

"LET GO OF HER!" Lily brandished her Techno Blade at him.

The general chuckled. "You know this little snake?"

"She's my d..." Lily had trouble forming the words, but they were true. "She's my daughter!"

The nindroid blinked, and started to laugh. "Well, isn't that a surprise! Let's test that. All mothers will give their lives for their children, hmm? So should I..." The nindroid curled his hand around Clover's neck. "Maybe cut off her air supply, for starters?"

"STOP IT!" Cole yelled.

Lily ran at the general to grab Clover, but he only threw her in the air. A nindroid sat on the other side of the cavern, waiting to impale her on his sword. If she ran, she'd be too late. If she stayed, what kind of mother would Lily be, leaving her baby like that? Lily twisted her body fast enough she should've torn several ligaments, and began to spin.

Purple whisps started to whirl around her body. Time slowed down. Her eyesight was obstructed with purple, but she still had her sights set on her goal. Lily crossed the cavern in seconds, reaching out for Clover just before she hit the end of the blade. She stopped spinning, kicking up dust as she slowed to a stop. Clover was gasping in her hands, but she was alive.

The nindroid stared in shock.

"She just did Spinjitsu." Zane breathed.

Lily turned to the would-have-been-murdering-robot. "Don't talk to me or my daughter ever again." She said darkly. And Lily punched him hard enough that his head flew off, leaving only a mass of wires sticking out of his neck. Water began to cascade from a broken cord in his back over his insides, and with a loud shock, the Nindroid fell to the ground motionless.

"Well, that'll do it." The general said.

There was a rupture in a tank seated on the nindroid's back. Water poured out of it. Something began to slither out of the back tank into the mess. It was this...eel, thing, and it was sparking with electricity.

For Cole, it clicked. "That eel! It must be powering them! GO FOR THEIR BACKS!"

And with ease, the Ninja simply snuck up behind their enemies and unplugged the cords connected to their heads. They fell over like limp dolls and dominos. The general was too fast for Zane to do it, and he just shrugged. "Oh well. The war is not over, petty thing." He stared at Zane for a moment, before his eyes glitched to this...unsettling purple. "Foolish Nindroid." A raspy voice spoke. "You're fighting on the wrong side."

"The Overlord!" Zane realized. "You'll never succeed. Not if we have anything to say about it." He said boldly, and leapt out to try and strike him. The Overlord-infected Nindroid dodged it with ease.

"I already have." He let out this laugh, worse than the general's, and one Lily was unfortunately familiar with. "You've unknowingly led me straight to the Golden Ninja. And this was merely a diversion to keep you busy."

Zane pulled down his mask in disbelief. His eyes burned with hatred over his foe. Zane reached for him, digging his fingers under the rib of the machine, and ripped the eel out of the tank with his other hand. It wriggled in his grasp for a moment, before Zane let it slip away into a nearby pool of water. He had to take a moment to realize how brutal his reaction was, staring at his own oil-covered hands.

Clover started screaming in Lily's shirt. She pulled her out, letting the snake curl around her fingers. "W-where's Clover's bottle?"

"Here." Skales slithered up to her, holding his bruised side. He held out the unfinished bottle, which Clover happily finished off in seconds.

"I was worried you were dead." Lily admitted.

"Please." He laughed painfully, clutching his side. "Takes more than _that_ to defeat a Hypnobrai such as me. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bandage my eye." He was right. There was a lot of blood obscuring his right eye on his face. He slithered away, and Clover yawned, before letting out a small cry.

"Oh Clover, it's okay. I'm not gonna let anybody hurt you ever again." Lily allowed Clover to bury herself in the fabric of her gi before rejoining the others.

"Electro-cobrai..." Acidicus emptied the last of the tanks into the pools of water scattered in the cavern. "Hmm. The Anacondrai loved using these during the war, but they've all died out. I'm sorry, that's my only lead."

Everyone groaned.

"Acidicus, about Clover...?" Lily twisted some of the fabric between her forefinger and thumb. "Should I take her up there?"

"She is yours. You choose what to do with her." He said, and went away.


	34. Nigella

With their new information, the Ninja and baby Clover went to go relay the findings to Cyrus Borg. On the way, Lily found herself surrounded by compliments concerning her Spinjitsu. She wished she could hide in her shirt like Clover did.

They found Borg fiddling with a bunch of wires inside his office, having set up five identical chairs next to each other. He didn't even notice them until Clover made a coo. Cyrus did a double-take upon seeing the Serpentine baby. "Is that a snake! No no...is that a Venomari youngling? It is! I can tell by the eyes." He dropped his tools and wheeled over, putting his face uncomfortably close to Lily's shirt. "Fascinating!"

Lily turned away. "Yeah, space please, Mr. Borg?"

"Oh, forgive me." He rolled backwards, embarrassed. "I've been working on something that will allow you to defeat the Overlord!" He began rambling. "PIXAL, dear, I think we should put the main switch over here to keep it tucked away a little. With a little ingenuity and a few more coaxial cables, we may be able to reboot the system with the Techno Blades!" He fingered the insides of a plug with a screwdriver, scraping out burnt gunk.

"I thought you said we needed the stolen hard drive to do that." Kai asked, confused.

"I did. But that was before I truly understood the entire capabilities of what Zane's powers truly allow us. We don't need the hard-drive!" He motioned to PIXAL. "That's why we have power, by the way."

"And what is that?"

"A chance to enter remotely." He spread his hands out dramatically. "By the time we figure out where Lloyd is, it'll be too late to stop the Overlord from draining his Golden Power and escaping the confines of the digital world." He put a single finger up in the air. "But! If we digitize the Ninja and Techno Blades using my experimental technology, you could fight him on his own turf inside the Digiverse."

"What do you mean 'inside the Digiverse'?" Jay asked.

"Ugh, weren't you listening?" Cole rolled his eyes. "He's going to put us into his weird video game."

"I know, heh, I just wanted to hear it again!" Jay said, hopping up and down excitedly.

"But Mr. Borg," PIXAL began. "If anything were to happen to them _inside_ the program-"

"O-of course. Every step into the unknown has its dangers." He said to her.

"What dangers? What is she talking about?" Kai was clearly still iffy about all the new technology, and this certainly didn't help.

"You know how in video games you get multiple lives?" Cyrus said, giving them the hand-shape for "three".

"Yeah?" Jay said, his eyes twinkling.

"It's not like that."

"Oh." Jay lost his smile. The TV suddenly flickered and filled the room with a white glare, making everyone jump. Clover hissed. On the screen, a world resembling the architecture of New Ninjago City appeared.

"Presto! We're up and running!" Cyrus spun around in his chair. The flurry of excitement lasted for 5 seconds at most, gone the second the elevator dinged and opened it's doors; revealing a mob.

The Postman stood at the forefront. "Aha! You see? Borg is holding out on us. He does have power!"

"Oh, this is no time for more post-apocalyptic role playing, Postman." Cyrus rolled his eyes. "You remember how disastrous it was las-"

"This isn't a game anymore." He rapped his spoon ladle agent the floor. "We heard about the Nindroid activity. What if they come for us?" The citizens behind him nodded with each sentence. "We need power to defend ourselves. And I wanna catch up on my shows." He added.

"Would you like to play a game?" The computer asked nobody in particular with a monotone voice.

"They are playing a game. Take back the power!" And tipping his cap around, the Postman charged at them.

"No, stop!" Cyrus begged them, moving to defend the main console from the oncoming attackers.

"We're trying to help you!" Kai attempted to explain, but was shot down quickly by several irritated girls.

"SNAKE!" One woman yelled, pointing at Lily. She yanked Clover out of her shirt, making the poor baby screech. Lily grabbed the woman's wrist and squeezed, making her yell and drop Clover safely into Lily's free palm. She stared into the woman's fearful eyes.

"Don't lay a finger on her." She said darkly. "Or you will regret it." She let go of her wrist and the woman stepped back, nodding. She gazed at the snake, wondering what happened that would make the Violet Ninja so protective of it. Clover just chewed on Lily's thumb, forgetting about almost being thrown across the room in a panic.

Lily almost didn't notice the golden glow drifting around the room.

Cyrus drew in a breath. "Golden Power. The Overlord has started the transference."

"What do you mean, transference?" Lily asked him.

He bit his lip. "He's...he's draining Lloyd of his elemental power."

"Then that means..." Lily murmured. For the entire trip, she had not used her power to find Lloyd. She was worried the Overlord may search her memories and find his location in case she was captured. But now, anything was fair game. Out of desperation and worry for her friend, Lily linked her mind with Lloyd's...

_It hurts...it hurts...make it stop...please...I have to be strong...for the others...for Ninjago..._

The amount of pain he was in was enough to overwhelm her. She severed the connection. "He's in so much pain! What do we do?!"

"Link to the Digiverse. Now." Cyrus told her. "All of you, please take a seat!" He motioned to the five chairs sitting in the middle of the room. "These will act as your stations to the real world while you wipe the virus. Your Techno Blades will be inserted into the Digiverse as well. PIXAL," He pointed at her. "Quick, P.I.X.A.L., we must isolate our server. If he finds out out plan to use the Techno Weapons remotely, the Ninja won't stand a chance." He looked at one of the computer screens, which was covered in red dots, and gasped. "No! They're already here. Initiate lockdown." Cyrus told the computer. It respondedLily wasted no time getting into the chair. Lloyd was hanging by a thread, and only she and her brothers-in-arms could stop it. Before sitting, Clover slithered out of Lily's shirt, and she pet her head lovingly. "Nya, can I ask you to do something big?"

"Of course." The red-clad girl promised.

Lily handed Clover to her. "Please make sure nothing happens to her."

Nya smiled warmly, letting Clover slither around her wrist. "She's in my hands. Er, literally. Good luck." The Violet Ninja smiled and sat in the chair. Clover sensed her mother was leaving her, and began to fuss. Nya did her best to shush and keep ahold of the wriggling snake. She saw the citizens staring at her, and frowned. "Do something useful and make sure those Nindroids don't get up here. If you ever wanna see your favorite shows again, you better get downstairs now!" She yelled at them. Clover hissed, as if to reverberate the statement.

"Once we're inside, what do we do?" Zane asked, settling in the chair next to Lily.

"Put simply, reboot the system. All source code travels through the heart of the mainframe. Follow it and you'll find a glowing activation port. The Techno Blades are the keys to activate the reboot and erase all corruption from the system." As Borg spoke, he had several panels open up from the chairs and set them in place beside their heads, heads, and chest.

"Uh, can you put it more simply?" Kai cocked his head, bumping it against the chair.

"Look for a big bright light, ya Airhead, then put your weapon in it." Cole rolled his eyes. "Simple."

The Fire Ninja nodded. "Okay, got it. I can do that." He closed his eyes, melting into the chair, and then registered Cole's insult. "Hey! I'm not an airhead."

"Remember, I wrote the code, but he controls it. His turf, his rules." Cyrus wheeled over to his computer and typed something on it. "I'll do my best to keep you hidden from here, but the longer you go unnoticed, the better chance you have to succeed." Cyrus narrowed his eyes at the five, his expression reading " _are you really ninja, or just kids playing dress-up_ ".

"Be careful in there." PIXAL told Zane, a hand over her glowing heart.

"I will come back." He promised. PIXAL set the final Techno Blade into a slot behind the chair. Five screens lit up on front of them, backwards, but showing their vitals.

"Prepare for entry." Cyrus raised a finger over the "enter" button.

Kai sat up in his seat. "Wait! How do we know this is really gonna work and won't disintegrate us instantly?" Kai let his own worry leak out. Lily clutched her seat's control sticks a little more tightly.

Cyrus paused, his finger trembling in the air. "Hm. I'm not sure." The savant shrugged. "Let's see." He pressed the button with no regrets, and the world went dark for just a moment.

When Lily opened her eyes, the others were gone. She was still in the chair. The room glowed with an eerie blue light. She got up and looked around, terrified. Kai, Cole, Jay, and Zane got up shakily from their own chairs. It was so weird. Everything looked like it was rendered in a 2010 video game. Even her own hands looked fake.

Kai tripped over his own foot. "I HATE TECHNOLOGY!" He screamed. "It didn't even work! What was the point? Where is everyone?"

"Kai, calm down!" Lily held a hand out to her friend. "Focus on me."

Kai frowned. "Focusing." He clutched her hand and got up on his own two feet. As he walked, numbers and letters rushed up his legs. "Woah..."

She noticed there was a streamline of the same coding entwining their hands together. She let go, and saw it return to individual lines. "This isn't Borg Tower, this is-"

"Most definitely the Digiverse!" Zane finished for her. Being part machine, this must have been like flowing through the bloodstream of a living human being for him. "Amazing!"

"And this is most definitely awesome!" Jay elaborated. "So cool! You can read everything! NOTHING IS HIDDEN!" Both Kai and Lily turned, shushing him loudly. Well, if anyone was going to get them caught, it was gonna be Jay, they both knew.

Cole walked up to the window. "Oh, it's like a dream." He looked outside and saw the city overflowing with the light, shimmering. His trance was interrupted by a sudden check to the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?!" He turned to find Jay snickering.

"Just testing the rules. First rule: Cole's a crybaby."

Cole frowned and cracked his knuckles, making Jay step back.

"We know we can still get hurt in the Digiverse. Let's stay on task." Zane told them, pulling the Techno Blades out from the chairs. "We have the keys. Now let's find that activation port."

...

Nya had no idea what to do.

Clover was wheezing, and spitting up venom everywhere. The crowd had formed a nice, wide circle around her, trying to avoid the venom blasts.

"PIXAL..." She whined a bit. "Help!"

"I can provide no information. I'm sorry." PIXAL looked down. "But my hypothesis is that she cannot control her venom bursts."

"Great." Nya held the baby snake, who continued to flail and throw up.

As expected, her venom eventually hit somebody-The Postman-and he rubbed his stinging eyes. When they opened, they were a sickly shade of green. He took one look around the room and screamed bloody murder. At once, several survivors of the Serpentine attacks were on him, holding him down.

"SKELETONS! SKELETONS AND OPENED LETTERS EVERYWHERE!" He screeched.

Clover finally stopped, and spit out a wad of what suspiciously looked like chewed purple fabric and little black nanites. She managed to wriggle out of Nya's fingers and let herself fall to the floor. She flickered her tongue around the room, and started a beeline for her mother. Being a baby snake, she did not get very far before bumping into herself and crying out. She ended up wrapping herself up in a knot and inching slowly towards Lily, who was sound asleep in the chair.

"Alright, come on." Nya scooped her up and placed her on Lily's chest. Clover mewled, and tried to desperately wriggle into her clothes for warmth. Lily made no response, but her eyes moved under her eyelids.

"Borg, what would happen if you put a living thing in the chair after it's activation?" Nya asked the savant, who was busying himself with a Rubix Cube.

"I don't know." Was all he said.

All three of them stared at Clover, who stopped moving and sat there breathing, only her head under the wraps of Lily's gi. Her vital stats were suddenly messed up, registering double the beats for her heart. PIXAL took a moment to reprogram it with a touch of her hand, and a smaller screen popped up below Lily's. It matched Clover's current state.

"Oh no." Nya gasped.

"Oh yes!" Cyrus said happily.

And Nindroids burst through the doors on the first floor.

...

When Clover popped up in a shower of pixels and light, everyone screamed. She spotted Lily and made a happy sound. Lily immediately ran over and picked up the baby. "Oh my gosh! Clover! How...how are you here?" The snake answered by chewing on Lily's hand.

"She must have followed you in the same we we did." Zane wondered. He glanced to the floor, the numbers moving constantly. "Hmm. Borg was right. The source code appears to be moving toward the same location." He pointed outside.

"Then let's follow it." Kai said, absentmindedly rubbing Clover's chin (much to her delight).

"Easier said than done." Cole jabbed a thumb at the window. "We're on a billion foot tall building's highest floor. We can't escape like last time."

Jay scoffed at this, and pressed a button on the wall. The windows slid open, letting in a simulated breeze. "Aren't you forgetting, we're in a video game! Whoo-hoo!" He jumped off of the balcony, soaring into the digital realm.

Lily shrieked, and ran over to the edge. She peered down...and found Jay perfectly fine, hopping around like a madman. "Haha, second rule: video games rule!" He shouted.

Clover flicked her tongue at him and squealed. She started to slither for the Blue Ninja, but Lily held her back. "Oh no you don't. You've given me enough heart attacks today."

"How did you do that?!" Kai screamed at Jay.

"JUST IMAGINE IT!"

Cole shrugged, and leapt out into the city. His cries of laughter echoed all the way down. Zane followed. Lily was tempted to leave the Digiverse altogether and return Clover to her people for safety, but took a deep breath and stepped towards the edge. She wavered for a moment.

"Imagine it, huh?" Kai muttered. Suddenly, much to Lily's horror and Clover's excitement, his head grew several sizes. It was like watching a video game character's model glitching out all wrong. Granted, the Digiverse's graphics made it more bearable, but it didn't stop Lily from backing away in surprise and falling off the building.


	35. Yellow Lily

Clover wasn't exactly sure how she felt about being here.

Sure, she was with her mother, but still. She expected some comfort after her little mess from before, not falling off of a building. The air swimming past her was cold and uninviting, but it stopped suddenly. Her organs still felt out of place, though.

Her mother squeezed her tight. She was floating off the ground by a few inches. Blue, White, and Black were standing over her, dumbfounded.

"Dude." Blue said. "That was some wicked imagining."

Clover smiled happily. She felt so complimented. Imagining...was that like thinking on a higher level? Her mother got up, still holding her, and she was met with Mommy's pretty violet eyes. "Thank goodness, you're okay." She said. Clover flicked her tongue at her in delight.

Her gums felt sore.

She felt cold.

And hungry!

Clover started to scream, wriggling like a noodle in Mommy's arms. Mommy shushed her, holding her close and bouncing her a bit. Okay, but still. No foods. Clover wanted food. She wished the food could just-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a scream, and Red floating down. His head was still huge! Clover laughed a bit, flicking her tail. Blue laughed at him. "Stop being so self-conscious, Kai! Gosh!"

"I-it's not funny, Jay! Knock it off!" His head grew back to normal size. Aww. Clover was a little saddened. Oh right! Food! She wanted FOOD! Clover continued her fussing from where she left off.

"Oh Clover, no, sweetie, it's okay...Borg?" Mommy looked up. "Can you take her out of the Digiverse please?" she waited for an answers and then frowned. "'Kay, thanks. Just leave my daughter to starve."

Black looked at the ground and pointed. "Everything is flowing to the bottom of the building."

"The ashes of the Overlord."

"You mean when Lloyd defeated him in the Ultimate Battle?"

"It must be where the corruption all started." White realized.

"Well, we're close. Let's go." The world felt heavy, and Clover's organs squished against her scaly belly. She felt her mummy's body struggle around her.

"Who's imagining this? I can't move my feet." Blue was stuck in the glowing ground. All the peoples began to argue over who was doing it. Then a loud, scuttling voice rang out, making all of them cover their ears. Clover wailed in fright.

"You think you can come into my world and get rid of me?" The voice hissed. Clover didn't like it's sound. It make her scales feel like they were being rubbed the wrong way. The initial blue glow of the realm was turning red. White out a hand to his chest in pain.

"I can't breathe!" Black wheezed. He was neck deep in the blue. "Jay-"

With a sudden flash, Black was sucked underground. Mommy screamed, trying to reach for him, but her arm was caught in the digital muck. She tried to wrench it out, but to no avail. Clover looked up, and saw a pair of big red eyes she did not like.

"Oh little one. I will spare you death." It creened. "So you can watch as your mother is given hers." Clover felt the cold of the ground on her stomach, and saw her mother's torso had disappeared. She was unable to follow.

"Clover, don't listen to him! Everything is gonna be alright-" But her mother's mouth was now underneath the floor, and she screamed in silence. Then, strand by strand of hair, her mother was gone. Clover desperately tried to hold onto a wad of her hair, to keep her with her, but it tugged away from her slimy, fangless mouth easily.

The Venomari Youngling whimpered.

"Painful, isn't it?" The voice said. Bad man, bad bad BAD man! Clover turned and hissed at him until she started coughing from lack of air. All the Bad Man did was laugh at her pain. She looked around, trying to find some sliver of hope-there it is! Red's hand, still in the air! She slithered over to it and wrapped herself around it. His fingers glided over her, searching for a hold.

Clover closed her eyes, expecting to go down with his thumb. But the noise of a large machine distracted her, and she looked up. The Bad Man was gone, and instead a crane was slithering down to grab them. Clover bit it tightly with her mouth, and this allowed it enough length to get Red's fingers wrapped around it. And like that, she was flying, Mommy and the others in a chain below her like some sort of long tail.

The crane opened, and they fell to the ground in a heap of coughs. Clover flicked her tongue and wrapped around Mommy's ankle, not wanting to lose her again. She was sooo hungry!

"Even simulated air feels good." Black put his thumb in the air. "We have to get to the port now!"

"I temporarily altered the corrupted code." A voice rang out. Clover recognized it as the shiny lady's voice. "Hurry, I can only resist him for so long." Te crane that saved them exploded in a shower of sparks. The Bad Man's eyes came up again.

"Just because your friend thinks she can change the rules doesn't mean I can't play the same game! This is my world!" Bad Man said. The buildings began to distort, until all of them resembled disfigured hands of some sort. They reached for the group, and just like that-gravity disappeared, and the entire world was upside down.

Everyone screamed as they fell. Clover hated the cold! At this rate the Bad Man would catch them easily in his house-hands. Clover wanted that Bad Man to get away from her mommy. She hissed. She wanted to be big and strong, to protect her mommy! She wanted fangs and a spiky tail and whatever it was big snakes had! SHE WANTED HER MOMMY SAFE!

Clover opened her mouth, and two fangs jutted out from it. She felt her scales shed, and shed, and shed, until she was longer in her mothers' arms anymore and instead free falling towards the Bad Man's hands. She opened her famed mouth wide, lashing her tail. She was so hungry!

And just like that, a snake the seize of the great devourer bit into the buildings, destroying them with a crunch. She chewed on the fingers, swallowing what she could, and roared. Five small things hit her back. She turned to see her mommy and her friends.

She flicked her tongue happily.

...

One moment, Clover was a baby snake in her arms. The next, Clover was a giant monster that would give Godzilla a workout. She and the others were sitting on her couch-sized scales, staring as Clover stared back at them.

"DON'T EAT US!" Jay screamed.

Lily put a hand to Clover's body, reading her. She was already full. She felt big and very proud of herself, and was excited to see her mommy. "What am I going to do with you?" Lily turned. "Jay, it's alright, she doesn't want to eat you."

"How can you be so sure?!"

Lily raised an eyebrow at him, and sighed. "Ok, Clover!" She stood up and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Take us to the bottom of the building..." She trailed off when she realized, technically, they're at the bottom of every building. "-Uh, the center of the city! Can you do that?"

Clover stared up at Borg Tower, it's peak bumping her on the nose. She began to chew on the end, and slowly uncurled herself.

"I'd suggest we hold on." Zane advised.

Clover bit the top of the building off completely, holding it in her mouth like a dog. Through the new hole she created, Clover began to eat and slither her way through.

"Wait, remind me again how she turned into Manda again?" Cole asked.

"When I looked into her head, she felt proud of herself for becoming something she wanted to be. And since we can imagine..." An idea popped into Lily's head. "Guys. That means we can-"

Jay beat her to it. He jumped off Clovers waving body and created his original hacked vehicle out of thin air. "I missed this thing!" He began to drive up the tower alongside her. Kai put a hand to his forehead.

"That kids plays way too many video games."

"Hey, as long as it works," Cole shrugged. "Fine by me." They continued to wait as she uncoiled, ready to hold on for dear life when the back part of her body went sideways to crawl upwards... But Clover suddenly stopped moving. She let out a small roar. That meant her head must have reached the destination. And between them and Clover's new fangs was a 5 miles long trek of snake body.

"Welp." Cole stood up and shrugged. He started running towards her head, and out of his mind burst the mech he had lost during the Nindroid escape. "YES! I'M LOVING THIS!"

Lily didn't feel comfortable using her mech on Clover. Rubbing a snake's scales the other way could cause them extreme pain.

Kai smacked his hands to his cheeks. "Alright Kai, you can do this, you can do this." He waved his arms around his sides, trying to psyche himself up. "You got this!" He jumped off of Clover's body, summoning his fighter jet. But it existed only for a moment. Kai's fear took over, and he began to fall out of the world.

"KAI!" Lily and Zane screamed, looking over. Zane wasted no time and leapt off into the bottomless sky, his plane forming around him like ice. Lily looked up at the long trail of snake, and the coiled part she stood on.

"If you can imagine anything..." She murmured. Lily smiled to herself. She squatted, jumped, and shot off into the sky.

_WHY DID I DO THAT._

Halfway there, Lily realized the feeling of flight wasn't as nice as she'd thought. It was actually rather terrifying. She lost her power and started falling. It was a miracle she landed on Zane's hood. Now she sat with Kai, both embarrassed at what they tried to accomplish.

"I hate technology." Kai mumbled. All Zane could offer was a smile of pity.

It was a good thing that they were flying up. Clover uncoiled and went to go take a nap. Zane flew through the tunnel she dug for them, right into the glowing heart of the city. Jay and Cole were already there. Reality shifted as they entered the area, a simple gray room with glass flooring. Gravity was normal again, and the city didn't look upside down anymore. Buildings popped in and out of space, changing every time you blinked. Shards of glass fell around them, as if they were tearing through a window. Zane set his plane down on the smooth ground, which had wires resembling a mainframe pulsing through it.

That sudden readjustment of physics was enough to turn Lily's face green as Lloyd's gi. She stumbled out of the plane and tried to get her organs to stop moving around so much. It seems Kai wasn't faring much better.

"It seems we're here." Zane said. "Lily? Kai? Are you alright?"

Of course the Nindroid would have no problem with the Inception-like situation they just witnessed. His plane disappeared in a shower of glitching, as did Jay's and Cole's vehicles. Speaking of Jay and Cole, they were staring at a huge tower sitting in the middle of the room. Their paled faces and shaky hands meant they received the same treatment as Lily when they got in.

"The Reboot Activation Center." Zane stepped forwards. He unsheathed his Techno Blade. "Get ready. I sense this won't be easy." 

"When is anything...ever easy?" Cole muttered. "Let's just do this thing and get out of here. My stomach hurts." He took one step and a back tendril shot out of the floor and through his chest. He gasped.

"NO!" They all screamed. The tendril slowly pulled back into the floor, and Cole's chest was...perfectly fine. Instead of blood, it was bubbling with a weird black substance.

"If you intend to be a part of my world," The Overlord hissed, "Then I will control you with the rest of it."


	36. Pink Carnation

The black substance spread out over Cole like puppet strings tying up a doll. He screamed, watching his own body do things he didn't will it to do. "Guys! HELP!"

"Hang on!" Lily went over to him and placed a hand on his chest, trying to draw out the evil. She grimaced. This time, it stuck to her arm like a web instead of the swirling rings from before. When the last of it finally dessappeared from his body, Lily pulled back. Her arm was the color of ash.

"We need to get to the-" Jay was interrupted by another tendril slapping him across the face. The mark it left was that same sickly black substance. Lily wasted no time putting her hand to his cheek and pulling it out. Jay groaned, his face cold from her touch.

The entirety of her arm up to her shoulder was now that color. It...seemed to move on it's own. She fought the urge to throw up.

Everyone sprinted, leaving small cracks in the flooring. The tower was like something out of an anime, spinning with huge, uneven columns. Inside was a pentagon-shaped disc, with five slots. More of those tentacles tried to grab them, chasing them like some enraged octopus. The tip of one caught Kai's foot, and he fell. "IT GOT ME!"

Cole helped him up, and he limped next to him towards the tower. As the black tetancles swarmed tother to form a mass of destruction, it also slowed it's pace. Cole was able to place Kai down beside the weird disc. "Can you still put your blade in from there?"

Kai responded by activating his blade and slamming it into the slot. "Don't worry about me." He eyed Lily walking over to him with her hand outstretched. "Lily, you too! Put your Blade in with the others!"

"But Kai, your-"

"If you suck it out, I don't think it'll work out for you! If-no, _when_ we erase the Overlord from the system, I should be fine. Jam it in!" Lily pursed her lips together and solemnly put her blade in the topmost slot. Several mechanisms locked it in place. The mass of black stopped completely.

"Did we do it?" Jay asked. "Nothing's really happening here. Is there something we need to say, or-"

Kai's blade wasn't locked in like everyone else's. Kai tried pushing it in further, but suddenly blackened nerves covered his body.

"HELP!" He screamed. Something yanked him away to the front of the tower, and he was pulled through the glass for just a moment. Then his body was thrown back up top. But this time...he didn't seem like himself, laying there.

For a moment, Lily looked into the spirit realm, and saw Kai's soul banging on the glass below his body. He tried reaching out for his body, but his hand shot back into his chest as if he had burned himself. She felt her hands clench together tightly. "BREAK THE GLASS! KAI'S STILL UNDER THERE!" She pointed to where she saw him.

Cole nodded. "I'm coming for you pal!" He jumped, a fist out and ready to tear the glass apart, when the mass of black swept over him.

"Cole!" Zane stuck his hand out, and the wave of black washed over him, Jay, and Lily. Lily couldn't breathe. It was like being drowned in the ocean. She saw her friends' souls get sucked under the glass floor...yet she was fine. Her body felt heavy though.

She heard Clover whine for her, softly.

When she could finally see clearly again, Lily was lying in the black substance. It pooled around the tower. She got up, her core burning, and she looked down at herself. She was...absolutely covered in the black stuff. Of _course_. The Overlord's power didn't affect her, but for some reason here she couldn't use to to her own will like before. So it stuck to her like a parasite. There were the Ninja's bodies, all around the room, and they were covered in the same stuff.

She heard the Ninja yelling.

"Oh...right, you." The Overlord sneered. "I forgot you are the special one." He mocked.

"What did you do to my family?" She growled at him.

"Separated their souls from their bodies. Nothing more than empty shells now. You are a strange case. But still, without all of the purified Ninja together, the system will not be rebooted. You lose. I WIN."

"No." Lily stood up, as hard as it was for her. "This isn't over! I'm-WAGH!" She fell over onto her back, the weight of the evil too much for her, and too imbalanced. Typical. It was like she had been dipped into lava and pulled back out to cool.

The Overlord let out a sickening laugh. "Look! Ninjago's savior!" He bellowed. "Just a lump on the ground."

"SH-SHUT UP!"

"So petty!" He cursed. "Such a child. It's a wonder you ever got the best of me the first time. But I always come back. My soul never dies. Even if you wipe the mainframe, I can still find a new body to inhabit!"

A new body to inhabit...

Wait.

Lily shifted on the ground, still sprawled out awkwardly. She looked into the realm and found the Ninja's spirits looking at her sadly. "You can do it. Get up!" Cole was saying. "You got this."

"Guys." She whispered. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes." Kai nodded. "You can hear us?"

"I can. I have a plan, and it's gonna sound crazy, but..." Lily let her finger drag over the glass. "You guys gotta use my body to fight."

"What?!" They said at the same time.

"My body is immune to his power. You may not be able to get to your bodies, but you can get to mine. If you all come with me, we can reboot-"

"Lily, are you hearing yourself?" Jay scoffed. "I'm not doing that. We don't know if you can even house another soul, let alone four. Even then, it may be too much for you!"

"I can house another soul! More than one, more than two!" Lily stood by her plan.

"How do you know that?" Zane asked, curious.

"Because woman do this all the time." 

It took a moment for it to click in their heads. Of course. When a woman was with child, she housed more than one soul. Master Wu said the previous Masters of Soul had always been female, too. Kai took a deep breath. "Okay. But if this doesn't work, and you end up-"

"Blame me. And it's not gonna be like that." She rapped a finger on the glass, breaking some of black away. "Quick, before it reforms."

Kai thrust his hand upwards, and his soul connected with her skin. Lily didn't know what to expect.

She had no clue it would be this peaceful.

"Woah, woah...I did it...Lily? Lily?" Kai spoke to her. His thoughts played in the background like a music track.

"Kai, shh. He'll hear you. I'm fine, before you ask." She whispered back. They used the same mouth, but she still felt like a different person from him. Strange. "Come on." She broke the glassy evil around her hand again.

Jay jumped in. She heard his thoughts. He was excited. He wanted to talk so bad but didn't in fear of the Overlord hearing him. She felt him bite her lip to shut himself up.

Lily did feel light-headed.

Cole was there, too. _Lils, you okay?_ He thought to her. Aww, the first thing he thought about was her safety.

_Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired._

_Let's make this quick then!_ Kai thought.

Finally it was Zane. His presence brought a cold feeling to her, but it was nice. With the other three jumping around in her brain, it certainly made a lot of heat. _This is amazing. Lily, thank you. What a brilliant plan._

"Let's go." She told them. "If we work together, we can do this. Do not let him know." She felt the crack close up on her hand. They were trapped together in her mind. She tried to stand.

It was so much easier when four other minds willed it with you.

"Trying again? Be my guest." The Overlord snickered. "Not as if it's in vain or anything. Waste away, waste away."

_That son of a-_

_Kai! Language!_

_It's just over there._

_Oof, this stuff is heavy._

_We're doing great. Keep going. Walk._

_Walk walk walk walk walk_

_Jay, you don't need to keep thinking walk every second. It's not like-_

_Please, please, shut up! I can't concentrate with all of your arguing!_ Lily yelled at them.

 _Sorry._ They all said at the same time.

Lily felt her eyes grow heavy. This was tiring, not just because she was hauling all of the corruption with her.

 _Let me take over. I won't speak._ Zane said.

_Thank you._

It was such a strange feeling. Lily's body continued to do what she wanted, but she didn't have to think or do anything at all. For the first time in her life, she felt truly relaxed.

"Still going?"

_You will regret this._

_Your blade, I can see it! We just need to touch it with Kai in control, right?_

_So close..._

_Are you sure it'll ruin the plan to turn and make a face?_

_Yes. I'm sure it will ruin the plan._

Only a few yards.

_Somebody take over please..._

_I will._

_Kai, no, we need you at full strength to touch your blade._

_Alright, then Cole. I don't trust Jay._

_I hate it that you have a good reason to think that._

A couple feet...

_Just stretch out your arm._

_Kai, take over!_

_Okay! Here we go!_

_I love you guys! Let's do this!_

_Ninja GO!_

"NO!" The Overlord screamed, realizing the deception. "YOU IMBECILE! HOW-"

Kai, using Lily's hand, moved the Blade back into it's slot. The mechanisms surrounding it took hold. The pentagon shone with a bright light.

"NO! NO NO NO NO NO!" The Overlord shouted. "I WILL NOT LET THIS BE THE END OF-"

A light burst from the top of the building. It headed for the main point in the glass floor, where all the connecting wires led to; but the Overlord stood over it. The beam stopped...

But only for a moment. It burned right through him. He screamed more obscenities. With every ounce of his power he forced himself into the mainframe. "I WILL NOT BURN SO EASILY!" He pointed at the sky. "YOU ARE ALL ALONE! NOBODY WILL FIND YOU! ONCE I AM GONE, THE DRAGON WILL CRASH AND YOU WILL DROWN!"

"He's talking to Lloyd!" Kai yelled. "What do we do?!"

_If Lloyd can hear him, then he can hear us! Encourage him!_

"LLOYD! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!" Zane screamed.

"WE ARE WITH YOU!"

"STAY STRONG!"

"WE WILL COME FOR YOU!"

"JUST BE YOURSELF, WHO IS SUPER STRONG AND EPIC BY THE WAY, AND YOU'LL COME OUT FINE!"

"I know you've been saving one last ounce of strength! USE IT! I BELIEVE IN YOU!" Lily let her voice ring across the room. The Overlord let out a guttural sound.

At the same time, all of them said-

"YOU ARE NOT ALONE! GO NINJA, GO!"

And their vision was overshadowed by a blinding light. Lily's skin did not feel so heavy anymore.

...

Zane woke up. He stumbled out of the chair. "You'r not alone! You're..." PIXAL caught him.

"Woah, Zane. Take it easy. You've been there for a few hours." She sat him back down in the chair. "I need to check your vitals."

"I...We...we...the others?"

"On your left." PIXAL motioned to them with a flick of her head. "From what I can tell they're all fine and accounted for."

"Nya? Oh geez, my head. My fingers!"

"My body!" Cole hugged himself. "I mean, no offense to Lily, but-"

"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" Nya chuckled.

"Mmm..." Lily mumbled. Her eyes shot open. "Where is everyone?!"

"Right here, dear, don't come stumbling out of there like Zane did." Garmadon said gently, holding her back down into the chair. Zane cleared his throat, not amused.

"No, my head...oh...right..." She blinked. "C-Clover?!"

Clover squeaked. She was curled around Garmadon's wrist. Wait a minute...

"Garmadon?!"

"She flew off your chest when you woke up. I caught her." He put her back in Lily's arms. "There was an issue, and I arrived to fix it."

Lily saw his nindroid armor. "Oh, I see. Hey girl. Tiny again, huh?"

Clover hissed.

"What happened in there?"

"A lot. Oh my gosh, we'll tell you everything but first, uh, dinner? Please? I'm hungry."

Lily opened her mouth to ask a question, but Garmadon answered it already. "Lloyd's alright. We found him. He was in a remote village, and will be here soon." Garmadon said. "My brother has gone to get him."

"Wu's okay?!" Jay yelled, making Nya cover her ears.

"Dinner sounds great." Lily smiled. There was something...off about her demeanor. "How about dinner and a nap? Because...uh...I'm tired."

PIXAL rushed over, suddenly a bit flustered. "Lily, I need you to-"

Her vital stats flatlined. Lily fell stiffly into PIXAL's arms.

"Lils!" Cole screamed. He got up and staggered over to her. "Lily-"

"Stand back." PIXAL said. She laid Lily on her chair, handed Clover to Cole, and rubbed her hands together. She slammed them onto Lily's chest, and a crackle of electricity shot out from them. Lily's entire body jumped from the motion. PIXAL did it again.

"Oh my gosh..." Kai had his hand to his mouth. "What-"

"Do you think it was from when we shared one body?"

"WHAT?!" Nya shrieked. If she was holding something, she would have dropped it.

"Long story. If the stress was too much-"

Lily gasped. Her vital stats were normal again. PIXAL assumed a serious look, her medical protocols kicking in. "What is your name?"

"Lily Gabel."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" PIXAL held her hand towards Lily's face.

"Three."

"What is my name?"

"P-PIXAL." She blinked. "What just happened?" She struggled in her seat. "I don't feel...all that great." She looked around the room. "Guys?"

Garmadon turned to the Ninja. "What happened in there?"


	37. Aloe

The ninja brought her to the monastery, and tried to explain to her what happened. Lily was in shock from news. She retreated from the group to take in what she had just heard. She looked terrible, but everyone decided it was for the best to let her rest for a rare moment.

Then they told Garmadon what had happened. The master was torn between praising Lily for the brilliance of her plan or shaming the others for going along with such a risky thing. "Perhaps we shall do something tonight, to get everyone's spirits up." Garmadon snapped his fingers. "A dinner! Lloyd is surely going to be hungry when he gets here. We'll have a feast! A celebrational feast!" He said dramatically.

"I like the sound of that." Cole slapped a fist into his other palm. "Party or not, I'm all for some good grub."

"Okay." Kai nodded. "Zane?"

Zane stood. "Yes. I will take it upon myself to help prepare."

Cole stood up, wanting to offer his help, but Jay forced him to stay sitting and to keep his mouth shut.

Kai began counting pros on his fingers. "A feast. Good food, good friends. Reunions, celebrations! And the fact that we won." Kai said. "Let's start by making our menu."

Zane put on a brave face and cracked his knuckles. "The feast is on."

And with that, Lloyd burst through the door (ignoring his injuries) and almost knocked his father over, wrapping him up in a bear hug. "Dad dad I'm so sorry I missed you you're the best and I love you!" He squeezed the old man tighter.

Garmadon chuckled. "I love you too but I do enjoy breathing."

Lloyd smiled, despite his bandages and slight limp. The others looked sadly at one another. During his capture, Lloyd had been tortured in order to draw his power. The plane crash did not help. He would be fine, he had told them in the call, but still... They felt horrible about not being there with him in person.

Lloyd went over to the others and hugged each of them. "I missed you all so much! Thank you, for being there. I needed that."

"But we-" Cole started.

"Nope! You were there and you helped me. ...Where are Zane and Lily?"

"Zane's preparing dinner in the kitchen. Lily, uh..." Kai wondered if he should even tell Lloyd this, but he was their teammate. he had a right to know. "When we were in the Digiverse..."

Lloyd listened intently. He thought what they did was amazing, until he found the stress it had put on Lily's body physically. Her heart attack, everything. Lloyd put a hand to his forehead. "She's okay, right?"

"She's just really stressed out, okay? I'd recommend letting her be until dinnertime." Jay told him. "Clover's also really fussy tonight."

"Okay. I can do that. Wait, who's Clover?" Jay gave him a look that said " _I'll explain later_ ". Defeated, The Green Ninja went to go find his father who had gone to the kitchen to help prepare the meal. "Hey, dad?" He stepped inside the steaming room, smells of delicious food almost knocking him out.

Garmadon was busy cutting onions and carrots and meat. "Oh, Lloyd. Is everything alright?"

Lloyd bit his lip. "I heard about Lily, and I don't know what to do, how I can help."

Garmadon smiled, albiet a small one. "I hate to sound like a typical monk, but when there's nothing else I can do..." he trailed off.

Lloyd leaned forward. "Well, what?"

"I pray to a higher power." Garmadon admitted. "I know I don't seem the type, but when the whole world is on your shoulders, it helps to lift some of that. Even if some people think it's nonsense." He shrugged. "Well. It's always helped me."

Lloyd took a moment to wonder. Yeah, he was born into a religious family, but he never took it seriously. He just did what they did. Never had he actually thought about taking it to heart. "It's just a suggestion, Lloyd. Please don't go having an existential crisis." Garmadon said quickly, seeing his son's face.

"No, it's alright. Thank you, dad." As Lloyd went out of the kitchen, fingers gripping the crutches, he found himself staring at a hung scroll in the hallway. It read:

_Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest._

_Matthew 11:28_

Lloyd decided to take his father's advice.

He sat down and...he prayed. He silently let out all the problems and worries he had on his shoulders. He hoped that God would hear them and have mercy on him.

The boy had to admit, he felt a little better.

...

Cole rapped his knuckles on the door of the room he thought Lily was in. "Psst."

There was some scuffling, and Lily slid the door open. "Cole?" Oof, she looked horrible. Her eyes were a bit baggy, and her demeanor was disheveled.

"Uh, we're having dinner." He said.

"Oh."

"I thought you outta know."

"Yeah..." Lily yawned. "Thanks for telling me. I'll be down." Something in her eyes said otherwise. She started closing the door on him.

"Wait!" Cole stuck his foot between the door and the wall. "I just wanted to let you know something."

"Okay?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

"I know this sounds weird, but I've always felt like you're the little sister I never had." Cole said to her.

"Oh, uh...thanks?" Lily struggled with the door a bit. "That's kind of you."

"And so, I'm like your big brother..." There was an evil glint in Cole's eyes Lily didn't catch.

"Where are you going with this?" Curious, Lily opened the door just a little.

"And that means I care about you like a big brother should. Lily, I know crazy and insane things happened today, but you still need to take care of yourself. We made everyone's favorite, or Zane did at least." Cole held out his hand to her. "Pretty please come have dinner with us? Don't lock yourself in here all night."

Lily studied his fingers for a moment. "Alright. Clover's finally down, anyway." She took his hand. "Lead the way...dear brother."

Cole wasted no time and hurried down the stairs, Lily trailing behind. He burst through the doors to the dining room. "Your plate it over there, between to Lloyd and Jay." The boys in question looked over and waved heartily. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna eat." He hurried off to a plate of what looked like turkey. Lily sat down gingerly.

"Baby giving you a tough time?" Jay asked.

Lloyd choked on his food. "Baby?!"

"Yeah. She's really fussy. I fed her, made sure she was bathed, but she wouldn't stop crying." Lily explained. "She seemed really sore, didn't want me to touch her directly. I hope it's just some weird Serpentine teething or something."

"When-what-you have a baby?! Serpentine?!" Lloyd yelled at them.

Jay nodded. "Oh, right. Forgot to explain that to you. Lily here was blessed with hatching a Venomari egg." He elbowed her playfully. "She named the baby Clover. She's actually really cute."

"VENOMARI?! The tribes are still around?" Lloyd frowned. "It's not just Pythor who's back, huh?"

"Yeah, and they don't want any beef with us actually. We-Pythor?!" Jay stood up. "You saw Pythor too?!"

"He...he's the one who threw my dad off a mechanical dragon and made me think he was dead. And then captured me. Or vice versa." Lloyd said. "When did _you_ see him?"

The two engaged in a conversation, filling in the blanks of each one's stories. Lily just sat between them, trying not to interrupt. She toyed with her food, and jumped a bit when she saw Zane staring at her from across the table.

"Is it good?" He asked.

"I haven't tried it yet."

"I'll wait, then." He continued staring at her innocently. Creeped out, Lily kept her gaze on him as she put the bit of Gyūdon in her mouth. The taste was splendid. The rice and beef complimented each other. Her eyes widened, and she began to salivate.

"It's fantastic."

Zane let out a breath he had been holding. "Oh thank goodness. I accidentally added more rice instead of rice wine. I hope it wouldn't ruin the dish."

"Zane, it's fine. Every chef makes mistakes."

"I know, it's just...I hate poorly prepared food." He looked down at the wooden tabletop.

"Poorly prepared? This is great stuff!" Lily assured him. "You put too much pressure on yourself."

"Says you." Zane gave her a look. Lily intended to give him a nice retort, but realized he was right. She did put too much on herself, and it usually led her to literally locking herself away from the group to sulk. Dang, this nindroid was good.

"Can I ask you something?" Lily dipped the chopsticks into the bowl again.

"Of course." Zane leaned forward, trying his best not to mess up his gi over his plate.

"...Why do you guys care about me this much?"

Zane let out an awkward laugh. "Aha, is this a trick question?"

"I joined the team out of the blue, and acted like a jerk to you guys at first. But you guys treat me like I'm one of your own. I just don't get how you guys were able to get to that sort of a relationship with me that quickly." Lily chewed and swallowed her food. "I'm touched."

"...Well, perhaps it's because we saw you as somebody who needed that kind of love." Zane began. "When you came, you seemed like such a lonely person. I, and the others, thought it would be best to give you the most compassion we could. You were so kind when you opened up, and we couldn't be more happy to keep caring for you as a part of our family." He chuckled. "Also, I'm well aware you'd do the exact same for us, so don't go being too confused on our behavior. You," He reached across the table and prodded her in the chest, "Are just as guilty."

Lily laughed. "So that means we're all just super lovey people who ended up becoming ninja together." She and Zane shared a laugh. "You guys are rather charismatic, in my defense."

"Lily, I wanted to ask you something." Lloyd tapped her shoulder. Lily turned and smiled at him, nodding. Lloyd returned the grin. "I was thinking-"

Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden wailing from upstairs. Lily sighed and got up, her chair scraping the floor. "Sorry, Clover's screaming again. I'll be right back." She left the room in a hurry.

Lloyd stared longingly at the door. Dang it. He was this close to finally talking with her alone, ish. Then he turned to the others, seeing that they had all gone quiet and were even snickering a little. "Hey. What's so funny?"

"I wasn't sure about it before, but I definitely know now." Kai smirked. "You are hopelessly-"

"Certainly-" Jay continued.

"Pathetically-" Cole kept going.

"Absolutely-" Zane said last.

"In love with her." They all finished at the same time.

Lloyd's face turned as red as Kai's curry sauce. "What?! Nooo...what makes you think that?"

"The way you look at her." Zane said. "The way you smile when she's mentioned."

"You're always asking about her."

"You guys smile and ask about her too!" Lloyd pointed at them.

"Not like you do~" Jay said in a sing-song voice, fluttering his eyes.

Lloyd frowned. "You don't know anything about me."

"Face it, muchacho. You can be as easy to read as a magazine." Kai admitted. Lloyd sat up and pointed at him.

"A-am not!"

"Denial." Cole, Nya, and Zane said at the same time.

The Green Ninja saw no way out. Was he that obvious? Sure, she was definitely pretty when they first met, but it was her personality that really made his heart melt. Her determination, her compassion...not to mention her general badassery. The way her red hair blew around her when she finished off an enemy, not caring one bit about how awesome she was. Lloyd felt blood rushing through his veins as he thought about all the things he liked about her.

"You're thinking about her aren'tcha?" Jay asked.

"I have something to do! Thanks for the meal!" Lloyd got up and speed-walked out of the dining room, in the same direction Lily had went. The others looked at each other and shared a sigh.

 _He visited her in intervals after the Final Battle, so it was hard to tell his true feelings. Now he's definitely proven to have fallen for her._ Zane noted. _That poor boy._

Lloyd went to his room, where he sat on his bed and tried not to scream. Was he really that obvious at this point?! Ugh! He most surely began to fall for her when she first saved his life by pulling the evil corruption out of him. How could he not? Without her he wouldn't be alive. Then she was in those comas. The way he felt himself react only yielded to him that he like-liked her. During the times he visited the school and saw her beautiful sleeping face, Lloyd knew he was just falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole.

His father read right through him during their adventure together. They had discussed a few topics concerning this. Lloyd planned to ask her if they could go somewhere and do something, just to get to know each other better. Better than they already did, at least. Oh, the way her violet eyes twinkled as she laughed-

_Focus, Lloyd._

Lloyd got up, brushed himself off for no reason, and started for the hallway. He was going to go knock on her door, and ask her the darn question. He could do this. He survived the Overlord twice! But as he neared her room, he saw her shadow continuing to shush Clover. She sounded so tired. But she was...singing?

"Think of me, I'll never break your heart. Think of me, you're always in the dark. I am your light, your light, your light..."

Lloyd decided his original question could wait. There was something else he'd rather ask. He knocked. She stopped singing, and walked over to open it. She looked like a typical overtired mother, holding a fussing Clover in an arm. "Lloyd, I'm sorry, this isn't a great time-"

"Can I help you?" He asked.

Lily blinked. "Oh. With Clover?" Lloyd confirmed it with a nod. "Um, yeah. If you could just rock her for a bit. I need to rest my eyes." Lloyd noticed the room was completely dark. Ouch.

"Yeah, I can do that." He stepped inside and held his arms out. Lily gently set Clover in them. "If she starts to suck for something in the air, wake me up, okay? Oh, and don't touch her belly. She's really sensitive there right now, for some reason." Lily yawned. "Thanks."

Lloyd looked at Clover with the sliver of light from the doorway. She was actually really cute. Sure, she had four eyes and resembled enemies he used to fight, but he knew she wasn't like them. She could be different, grow up to have a different life. Just like the rest of the Serpentine were doing right now with their young.

"It's no problem..." Lloyd trailed off. Lily was already asleep on her bed, not even bothering to change into something more comfortable. Yes. He was hopelessly, certainly, pathetically, absolutely, in love with her. And he didn't care who knew anymore.

Lloyd thought about his power, and how enemies would always be trying to get it now that there were ways to pull it from it's source. All of this had hurt his team his family. His brothers had risked their lives for his safety. He couldn't let them do that again, not for this reason. If they were able to send the Golden Power into him...then maybe there was a way he could send it back. Give their powers back to them too. They had, well, aside from Lily, sacrificed their abilities to give Lloyd his. Now it was his turn to do the same.


	38. Ceropsis

Lily opened her heavy eyelids. She felt rather well rested. That was a first. Lily got up, and realized she was tucked under the covers. Weird. She didn't remember falling asleep like that.

She looked over at her nightstand and saw a note.

_Lily,_

_Clover is with Zane. You fell asleep so quickly, I decided to let you get some well deserved rest._

_When you're ready, I'd like to talk to you about something._

_Lloyd_

Lily sighed in relief. She really needed to fix her sleep schedule. And her eating schedule. She hadn't finished her dinner last night. Maybe with the Overlord finally done for, she'd have a chance to do that. Lily headed downstairs perkily, something she hadn't done in a while, and Lloyd told her his plan over breakfast.

Despite the audacity of it, everyone agreed there wasn't much of a better plan, and it would be a great way to regain the entirety of their elemental powers without using the Elemental Blades. Lily left Clover with PIXAL, who had been told everything she needed to know by Zane. They took a hover-coptor across the sea and returned to the Dark Island for the first time in 2 years.

It still irked them out. Lily remembered the things that happened here and tried not to think too hard on it.

As they entered a battered but functional Temple of Light, Lloyd stood in the middle, speaking as everyone else settled in their spots. "I can't do this alone anymore. As long as I have all this power, they'll never stop coming for me. I have to return it to all of you."

Zane looked at the team. "From here on out, we can't let anything separate us again." Zane said.

"He's right." Jay agreed.

"Absolutely." Cole nodded.

"Let's do this." Kai pumped a fist in the air. Lloyd took the cue, summoned a ray of energy and used it to strike the bell. A swath of Golden light descended upon Lily, and she stuck her arms out, allowing it to pass freely into the other Ninja. Fire, lightning, earth, ice, for a fleeting moment she felt all that power bubbling in her veins. Then it passed, and she heard the laughter of the others as they used their powers once again.

"The power inside me...it's so strong, I feel as though I will burst!" Zane created a ring of ice to surround himself. "This is amazing!"

" _FIYAAAAA_!" Kai shot out a blaze of flame, hot enough that even Lily could feel it warming her.

"Haha, anyone _shocked_ to see me do this, huh?" Jay use his lightning to create a heart made out of electricity. Lily put a palm to her face. "Witty quips!"

"No _dirt_ off my shoulder." Cole grinned. He was standing on top of a small hill he had created, dust settling in his long black hair.

"Chill out, you guys." Zane said, then covered his mouth. "Er...I walked right into that one."

Everyone else laughed. Outside, she saw Garmadon and Wu discussing something, but wisely decided to stay out of it. Everyone returned to the copter, excited to be using their abilities again. Kai was showing off a bunch of his fingers setting fire like a crowd wave.

Cole created a small rock in his hand, and handed it to Zane. A layer of ice stretched over it. "Look!" The Earth Master said. "It's a tiny glacier!"

The tiny glacier fell off of Zane's palm and hit the floor, breaking into two. Cole looked down at it sadly. "No..." He said.

"We can make more." Zane suggested. "With our powers, we may as well make a life-sized one." He brought up a fist and covered it in a thick layer of ice. "Our enemies will never stand a chance."

"We're here. Everyone please keep your seatbelts on and watch out for...small glaciers." Nya yelled from the cockpit.

The hover-copter landed next to the monastery. Everyone practically ran out, wanting to show off their powers to the students still residing there. Lily wanted to go see the kids too, but Lloyd stopped her. "Hey, I never got to tell you what I've been thinking."

"What?" Lily didn't remember the conversation from last night. She had been too sleep-deprived.

"Uh, okay...I was thinking." Lloyd rubbed the back of his head. "Since the Overlord is erased and all that, and Ninjago is finally at peace for a few seconds...uh...you...you, wanna go do something?"

"A day out for us ninja? Doing what?"

Lloyd bit his lip. "Gelato. A stand just opened up downtown in New Ninjago City." He shrugged. "I hear it has great reviews."

It was 12:00. Lunch would do her good. "Okay. It would be nice to relax for a bit with food." Lily agreed. "Oh, wait! That reminds me! I forgot to show you." She stepped back a bit, and angled her feet. "Watch, watch this." She began to spin in place, and a purple vortex appeared in her place. She stopped spinning and held her arms out, dizzy. "Tada~"

"You learned to do spinjitsu?" Lloyd gave her a toothy smile. "That's great!"

"It still makes me wanna bang my head against the door until I see clearly, but I'm getting the hang of it!" She said cheerfully. "Now come on, let's go get some gelato. I'll go find the others-"

"No!" Lloyd suddenly said. "Uh, it's just. They seem, preoccupied with their powers and stuff." His hypothesis was confirmed with a sudden flash of lightning just a few houses down. There was not a cloud in the sky.

"...Good idea, let's just leave them to it." Lily agreed. She worried how they may fare in a city full of fans compared to a couple of students.

She didn't see Lloyd pump a fist behind her.

...

Lily didn't like peering into her friends' emotional states all that much. It seemed like a breach of privacy. But she didn't need that power to notice Lloyd seemed happier than usual. The entire bus drive there Lloyd completely ignored the paparazzi and sat next to Lily, excited.

"Happy to get all that power off your back?" Lily asked, curious.

"Uh, yeah! I certainly feel like I'm carrying a lighter load." Lloyd said quickly. They had dressed in regular clothes as to not attract unwanted attention, but people still muttered around the bus and asked for photos with Lloyd. She saw his bandages sticking out from under his jacket, and the fresh bruises still on his face. He insisted he was fine, and didn't need Lily to speed up the process. He was right in a way, she supposed; he was recovering rather quickly.

The bus stopped. "All passengers who are here to see Ninjago Central Park or areas around it, please step off of the bus."

Lloyd got out of the seat and held a hand out to her. Lily smirked. "For a boy who's father was evil most of his life, you were certainly raised right." She teased. Lloyd blushed furiously. She linked his arm in hers as they crossed into the large park. Here, there were renovations for more eco-friendly technology. Somewhere on the other side was that gelato stand. Hybrid trees and greenhouses were around every corner. Lots of little kids ran around with kites. With the threat of the Overlord gone, Lily was able to breathe the early fall air in peace. "Long walk to gelato."

"That just means more time to get to know each other." Lloyd said, looking on the brighter side of things. "What hobbies do you have?"

"Well, you already know I do flower language. Uh...this may come as a surprise, but I used to paint." She admitted.

"Used to? Why did you stop?" Lloyd asked, curious.

"After my mother passed, well..." Lily shrugged. "I didn't find it as endearing as before. I always loved painting her." She let her eyes drift to the ground, crushed leaves crunching under her sneakers.

"Do you think you'd ever start again?" Lloyd asked quietly.

"...Depends." She sighed. "Okay, what are your hobbies?"

"Mine?" Lloyd thought for a moment. "Besides saving the world every Wednesday, I guess...I like astronomy. And reading comics."

"Why astronomy of all things?"

"Seeing a world out there besides what's in front of my face was so interesting. It was also the only subject I excelled in during school." They shared a laugh. Ugh. Lloyd loved hearing Lily's laugh. He felt so much happier. She was just amazing. Thinking about her, it made him...

Well, it made him almost trip over the menu sign standing near the gelato stand. He waved his arms in circles before falling. His nose was almost touching the ground before Lily caught his wrist. She pulled him back up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Thanks!" Lloyd said this loudly, probably because he was flustered by the situation. "Uh...hey look, the gelato stand!" He pointed next to him. "Excuse me sir, we would like some...gelato!"

The cashier turned around. "Hey, you're that Golden Ninja who saved the old city a year or so ago! And you," He pointed to Lily, "You saved that little girl during the first attack on New Ninjago City." He smiled. "The Violet Ninja, right?"

Lily nodded.

"Don't tell anybody, but I'll give you two a discount." He whispered. "What would you like from Ben's Gelato Stand?" he pointed to his name tag, reading, appropriately, "Ben".

"Uh..." Lloyd stared at the menu. "Chocolate and pistachio? With sprinkles please." He asked.

There were a lot of choices. Lily took a moment to review them at least twice in her head. "I guess I'll take...raspberry and tiramisu?"

"You got it. That'll be $10.50. Give me a moment, your orders will be ready." Ben disappeared behind his stand to prepare the cups of italian ice cream. Lloyd shifted his weight from one side to the other. "This might take a minute, you can sit down right over there." A hand popped out from behind and pointed to a small table next to the knocked over menu sign.

The duo sat down, listening to the fountain nearby and the educational tours going on beside them. Lily drummed her fingers against the wooden table's surface, before remembering something. "Hey, Lloyd, wanna see a trick?"

"Sure!" He said.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and her neck bristled with energy. Her hair suddenly flew up, waves of purple energy flowing through it. When she opened her eyes, it settled back down over her shoulders.

"Woah!" Lloyd was impressed. He clapped a little. "Where did you learn that?"

"When I was sleeping, I talked a bit with my grandmother Yuri. That was an intimidation gesture she would use during fights." Lily explained. "I literally just remembered the conversation we had."

"You said it was an intimidation gesture?" Lloyd had to admit, it didn't look like one. She had her nose all scrunched up, eyes shut, and a smile on her face, so it looked more like she was a constipated puppy. "Uh...well, maybe try opening your eyes next time. You'll look even more, er, intimidating."

"It's okay." Lily sighed. "You can tell me that I looked anything but scary-ooh, food!" Ben had returned, setting down the perfectly scooped gelato cups in front of the two. She muttered "Thank you for this food, Amen" under her breath, and dug her spoon into the soft folds of the dessert.

"Religious, huh?" Lloyd asked, seeing her gesture before eating.

"My grandmother lived and breathed the Bible. Naturally I'd start following in her footsteps." _It also brought me a sense of comfort, being so alone._ she added silently.

Lloyd swallowed a bite of his, looked around, and tried to make more conversation. "Nice weather we're having, huh?" _Oh, nice one_ Lloyd _. You were doing so well with the conversation walking here!_ He scolded himself.

"Yeah. Surprisingly sunny for a fall day." Lily answered. "Wow, this is great stuff-"

Lloyd's phone buzzed. He sheepishly put up a hand, telling her to wait a minute, and took the call. "Dad, why are you calling? It's going well so far!" He hissed into the speaker.

"She has no idea you invited her on that date, does she?" Garmadon snarked back.

"Shuddup!" Lloyd blushed. "She's not my girlfriend, so it's not a date-"

"Not your girlfriend _yet_." Garmadon "corrected" him.

"Why did you call?!" Lloyd said through his teeth. Lily was looking at him with a little concern.

"I hate to make things worse today, but we had some nindroid activity. They seem to be acting alone, without their master. I was hoping you and Lily could scout a bit."

Lloyd wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him, but he knew better. Nindroid activity after the Overlord's erasure could lead to big problems. They may try to bring the virus back. Either way, duty calls. ...Besides, he was his dad. He'd never hurt him. 

Lloyd shut off his phone and began to search for his wallet. "Sorry Lily, but Dad says there's rogue nindroid activity. We gotta do some work." And much to his relief, she smiled and nodded with determination.


	39. Chrysanthemum

Lily brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and continued to search for any signs of Nindroids. This was the third village they had visited so far, and they had gotten nothing. Lily wanted to be happy that the possible threat was good as gone, but she knew she wouldn't be able to rest without tearing their energy tanks off them herself.

Not to mention she was very cold. The Glacier Barrens were absolutely brutal.

Lloyd nudged a small cup to her hand, and she took it eagerly. It was warm coffee. Expected, in a town called Kafean, who grew coffee beans and shipped them to all different parts of ninjago. Some coffees even had magical properties based on the beans used for them...or so the stories said. "Thanks." She said to Lloyd, sipping it.

"We're gonna need all the energy we can get. The next stop is at least an hour away."

"Ugh." She hummed against the brim of the cup. Tasted like vanilla.

A black falcon suddenly swooped in front of them, scaring several villagers. It perched on a chair and it's eyes glowed blue.

"Lloyd, Lily!" Nya's voice yelled through. Lloyd was about to answer her, but she began to launch into a sudden story with rapid speed. After a time her words became incomprehensible, and the two worried the bird's local Wifi was down.

"Nya, calm down!" Lily said. "Go slow. What's happening?"

"It's Kai. We...we could really use some healing powers right now. Please." She said.

Lily and Lloyd looked at each other, both terrified. What had happened? And how bad was it that they needed Lily's assistance? Wasting no time, Lloyd downed the rest of his coffee in record time and hopped onto his motorbike. Lily climbed on her own vehicle, a prototype cycle Jay was tinkering with. It didn't look pretty, but it was enough to get the job done. They sped off, praying that Kai would be alright.

The Red Ninja in question was alive, yes, but he did not feel alright. His body was hot and numb. He couldn't move anything without this burning sensation running through his nerves. Worse, his scarred eye hurt. That wasn't good.

Nya sighed in relief when she saw him open his eyes groggily. "Kai, you're okay!" She almost sobbed. "I thought you weren't gonna make it."

"Wha?" He replied. Where was he?

"You're alright, Kai. You're just hurt. The fight you had with those nindroids did a number on you." Nya said, her voice cracking just a bit. Oh dear gosh, Kai's head hurt. He attempted to bring a hand up to rub his temple, but only succeeded in feeling a pang of pain throughout his body. He visibly winced, and Nya looked at him with concern. "Kai? What do you need?"

"Head hurts..." He mumbled.

"Oh." Nya said. "Want some water?"

Kai nodded painfully. Nya poured water from a bottle into a small paper cup and lifted it to her brother's lips, who drank it eagerly. "Okay...what happened?" He couldn't really move his head and asses whatever damage he had.

"Well, what do you remember?" The Samurai asked.

"I was fighting the Nindroids with the Prototype X-1, and there was a tanker of jet fuel, and...it blew up." The memories of the event started to return to him. The jet tanker exploded, and he had landed on the first truck. He heard something about the Overlord...perhaps a resurrection? Then he flew off of the truck and hit the ground. "Oh man...but I'm the Master of Fire! I shouldn't be able to get burned." He wheezed.

"You may be the Master of Fire, but you're still human." Nya sighed.

"Can I see?"

Nya frowned at his request, but pulled a mirror out from her bag. She showed Kai the damage. From the chest down he had been fried. Parts of his gi had been burned onto his skin, which was twisted and resembled Freddy Krueger. Kai knotted his eyebrows together. "Do you think Lily can fix this?"

The Violet Ninja burst through the door, Lloyd trailing behind her. "We're about to find out." Nya said.

Lily saw Kai and grimaced. "Oh no..." She stood over the bed and rubbed her hands together, letting a purple glow engulf them before laying them on Kai's burnt feet. "How did this happen?" As her skin made contact with his, time seemed to rewind, and his burnt gi curled up into rolls of fabric as it peeled off of his healing wounds.

"Nindroids, jet fuel, too many matches." Kai said. "Thank you, really."

"No problem." Lily said, watching the melted globs of metal fall to the bed in lumps.

Lloyd gave his friend a smile. "At least tell me you didn't get out of there empty handed."

"Oh, not at all. Pythor, he was there. He was chattering about the Overlord with somebody over the phone. I hate to say it, but it wouldn't be too far fetched to say they're planning to resurrect the guy. ...They probably have Cyrus with them too."

Right. Cyrus had inexplicably disappeared after the erasure a few days ago, much to PIXAL's worry. It was safe to assume the nindroids had stolen him away once more, and now that theory proved right. Lloyd's response to Kai's information was a long roll of the eyes. "Will they ever quit?"

"Well, we don't know for sure." Nya said. "We'll have to do some re-con."

"And there." Lily pulled her glowing hands off of Kai's skin. "Do you feel okay?"

"Better than ever." Kai sat up, groaning. "Still a bit sore, though." He noticed his gi was slowly crumbling off of him. "Aha...can somebody please get me some pants?"

As Kai was suited up with a new Techno Robe, PIXAL came to return Clover to her mother. She opened a heated compartment inside her arm, and pulled out the snake. PIXAL told Lily about some discoveries made during her time with her, including Clover's developing limbs. Four little stubs wiggled underneath her, and they would grow into hands and feet when the time came. PIXAL let Lily gush over Clover's maturity before giving her report.

"Your infant has proved to be...challenging." PIXAL explained. "I was able to get great amounts of data, but at a cost to myself."

Clover threw up what looked like a piece of a ribbon cable. She crawled around Lily's neck, settling there like a necklace. "I'm sorry for any problems she caused you." Lily apologized.

"Oh, don't be." PIXAL waved her hand nonchalantly. "I have been able to understand her better and preform counters. I also learned more about my capabilities with Zane's power source as my own. Apparently, her venom works on me too." PIXAL, although usually showing little to no emotion, managed to give Clover a good stink eye. "She hid from me for several hours by hiding in the food pantry."

"Oh...if you don't mind me asking, what did you see after she sprayed you?" Lily asked, curious.

"Several storm clouds with faces on them. It was rather strange, but enough to freeze my processors and keep me from functioning at full capacity." Translation: It scared the crap out of her.

"We got here as fast as we could." Jay, and Cole ran through the elevator doors, not waiting for them to open all the way. They stopped by the table to catch their breath.

"The Overlord is not done with us yet." Zane said, determination brimming in his tone.

"The Overlord?" The duo yelled in surprise at the same time.

"We know they plan to launch Project Arcturus tonight." Wu said. "We think it's something they're going to do to resurrect the Overlord, but we just don't know what. "

"I've run every combination of these clues through my database to see how they're connected, but there is no correlation." PIXAL said. "I'm sorry I cannot be of more service."

"Maybe there's a reason why it's not in your database." Zane muttered quietly.

"But everything in Ninjago history has been recorded inside me." She said.

"Not everything." Zane perked up, remembering something. He turned to the others. "Do you remember when we followed Garmadon back in time?"

"What?!" Lily gasped.

"Uh, we did?" Lloyd echoed her surprise.

"You don't remember, Lloyd, because when we returned to the present, it had been altered by what we had done in the past." Zane said to the bewildered Green Ninja. Kai nodded and shrugged.

"I remember because I was there." Garmadon agreed. "You used the Golden Weapons to destroy my Mega Weapon. But when they collided, they were shot into..."

"Space." Wu breathed. Everything clicked.

"With the power of the Golden Weapons, they can create anything...and that means they can also create a means to bring him back."

"Quick, where have the ancient Serpentine studied the stars?" Garmadon asked PIXAL.

"The ancient city of Ouroboros, of course." the android said.

"We must go there at once." Garmadon said. He started heading towards the elevator. "We can sneak inside and see what exactly those machines are planning to do."

"How do you know Nindroids will be there?" Wu asked him.

Garmadon turned around, his eyes calculating some sort of plan. "Like Father always said. Faith."

"You guys went back in time?" Lily asked them. She still hadn't wrapped her mind around the idea of time travel, let alone going on a re-con to Ouroboros. All she knew of that place was that it was an old Serpentine City.

"I'll be happy to explain on the way there." Jay said. "Now let's get going." He followed Garmadon inside the elevator. Lily wanted to put Clover somewhere safe. but she had spent too much time away from her. She had no choice but to come along. During the ride down, Zane reached for Cole's hand and held it. Cole was a little baffled at the gesture.

"Zane...?" He asked quietly.

"Forgive me, Cole. I'm just...scared." Zane admitted. Fear was in fact lurking behind his eyes.

Cole gave him a soft smile and squeezed his hand, his synthetic skin cold to the touch. "Well, don't be. I'm here for you bud." He waited a beat, then added, "We all are."

Zane smiled, and mouthed "Thank you".

...

Nya had been busy. She had managed to pull the remains of the Ninja's destroyed vehicles and rebuild them. As Lily climbed into her spider mech, she changed it's position from a crouch to standing all the way up, towering over the rest of the vehicles (save for Zane's, since his, uh, flew).

She couldn't help but giggle at Lloyd's face.

They raced to Ouroboros with all the speed they had. Sand kicked up and left a trail behind them, and they didn't stop. Lily saw the ancient city on the horizon, and had to admit it must have been a beautiful sight back in it's prime. Stopping half a mile away from the city, Lily let her mech crouch back down and inspected the surrounding area.

There were no signs of nindroids. Good.

"They must be holed up in the middle of the city." Cole said. The cool winds of the desert night and the black sky gave them perfect cover. The team went through the city gates, and met with silence.

It was somewhat sad. There were abandoned houses and unstacked shops, dry bathing pools and even nesting areas. It was dry and broken. Lily wished she could go back in time and see it full of life. Clover seemed to sense the area was of Serpentine origin. She poked her head out of her gi and flicked her tongue in the air.

In the middle of the city stood a coliseum and the remains of some statue. Brick was laid out to form a swirling pattern. Again, nothing. The city's quiet was no longer beautiful, now worrying. If there were no nindroids here, where could they be?

"He said they would be here." Lloyd tried to assure his team.

"Well, your dad was wrong. We should have never listened to him." Jay muttered, crossing his arms. "All this way for nothing." The pebbles and dirt beneath him began to move slightly, and he looked down confused.

"I sense you are mistaken." Zane said.

"Guys, this is not good. Take cover!" Cole whisper-yelled, pulling the others behind the coliseum entrance. Being the Master of Earth, Cole was in tune with the ground. He could feel when tectonic plates were moving and if he focused hard enough, even the wiggles of earthworms. The ground shook harder, and the swirled pattern opened up into four corners. Adjusting to the sudden pit that opened up, she saw a tall red object sticking up into the air. Lily rubbed her eyes, trying to comprehend what she was seeing.

The Master of Earth was right about taking cover.

It was the nose of a space shuttle.


	40. Cyclamen

"The old man was right." Lily breathed. "What do we do about this?"

"For now, look around. And hopefully stop them from launching it if we can." Lloyd told them. "Follow me."

Cole noticed the walls were still made of the Earth, and used his power to create a small pathway down for them. They stepped carefully, trying not to fall off, and saw the operation the Nindroids were having. On the side of the shuttle were the words "Arcturus".

Jay furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Dang."

Zane jumped gently from the earthen foundation to a walkway. "We need that launch key to stop the launch command." He pointed to a room across the cavern, the tiniest glint of silver visible through the window. "We can't let them get the Weapons."

"Why don't you guys just take them?" Lily asked.

"They melted into a ball of pure energy strong enough to make you turn to dust upon touch." Kai said. To express his point, he snapped his fingers, and wiggled them away, making a "whoosh" sound.

"That could complicate things." Lily said.

Clover poked her head out again, taking in all of the sights and sounds. Oh how pretty everything was! And down there...was another Serpentine? A white one at that. He looked nice, like a grandpa.

With newfound speed due to her stubs, Clover wiggled out of Lily's gi and flew over the railing.

Lily bit her tongue trying not to scream out. She saw her baby fly down to the bottom of the cavern, hitting a nindroid on the way. Being resilient, she quickly got up and made her way to the mass of nindroids standing in front of the shuttle.

"Clover." Lily bit her lip. "Guys. She's heading for that big snake guy."

"That would be Pythor. Wonderful." Jay sighed. "I mean, they're both Serpentine, maybe he won't kill her?"

"Doubtful." Cole said. "Knowing him, he'll try to use her as a bargaining chip."

"I'm going after her." Ignoring the protests of the team, Lily swung over the railing and landed on the ground below, her powers preventing her bones from cracking. She ignored the unconscious nindroid next to her and crept over to see Clover poke her nose into Pythor's tail.

"And we-what?" Pythor turned around and his scaly eyebrows flew up in surprise. Clover let out a happy squeak, flopping her tail around.

One of the nindroids lifted up his gun, but Pythor put a hand on it. "Ah ah. It's just a child. An abandoned one it seems." He peered at her with his oblong neck. "Hmm. What is your name little...dear?"

"Meh!" Clover squeaked.

"Still functioning as a toddler, I see." Pythor rolled his eyes, but picked her up anyway. "Let us rejoice! We have discovered a new member of our little gang!" He smiled sickeningly at them. "She will grow up seeing the absolute glory of the Golden Master's awakening!"

That was enough. Lily jumped into the group and lifted her sickle to Pythor's neck. Clover squealed in delight seeing her. "You're not doing anything to her." Lily said.

"What's this?" Pythor laughed. "You're protecting her? A filthy human like you?"

Lily saw why the others didn't like him. She pressed her blade a bit closer to his neck. Several Nindroids raised their guns and prepared to fire. "Hit me and say goodbye to your leader!" Lily yelled at them. The Nindroids hesitated.

"You bit-OOOW!" Pythor was interrupted by her stomping on his tail.

"Give her back." Lily held out a hand, waiting for him to let Clover crawl into it.

"Fool. Using me as a bargaining chip, when I already have one of my own?" Pythor uncurled his fingers from around Clover's body, only to wrap them tightly around her neck. She screamed and thrashed.

"No!" Lily began to sink her blade deeper into his neck, but Nindroids kept their fire on her. Pythor let out a maniacal laugh.

"If I hurt your child, you will surely strike me down." Pythor hissed. "But then the nindroids will fire, and decimate you. It seems we are at a stalemate. So tell me, how long will we play this game? I'm bored. I may just crack her neck to pass the time."

"Monster."

"Well, considering the fact I did devour my entire tribe just to survive, then yes. A fitting title." He flicked his tongue at her. 

" _T-MINUS 30._ " A loud voice suddenly screamed into the cavern. Lily looked up to see a count-down above the room where the launch key was located, and standing outside of the doorway was...Cyrus. Covered in pieces of machinery and holding Lloyd by the neck over the railing. The others ran to him, but the nindroids surrounding Lily looked up and fired on the walkway they were on. Cyrus clung to the wall, still holding Lloyd.

Lily took this chance to drag her blade not across Pythor's neck, but his shoulder. He screamed, blood gushing from it. As much of a creep as he may have been, Lily was no killer. She snatched Clover from his weakened hands and started to run towards the team of Ninja, who were reaching out to save Lloyd from falling to his death...

When a lone Nindroid shot her in the back, giving him enough time to hold her down as she healed. She screamed, Clover slipping from her grasp, and a Nindroid walked over to the snake. Lily felt tears pinpricking the corners of her eyes. "Don't! Please!"

The nindroid payed her no mind and brought his foot down on Clover's body.

Her entire midsection was crushed, and Clover spat out blood. Lily screamed. Something inside of her seemed to flip like a switch. Lily forced herself up, fighting against the crushing strength of the nindroid on her, and forced him backwards. She went over to the Nindroid that had hurt her baby, her daughter, and head butted him. His entire face sunk in, and he fell backwards like a broken doll. Lily picked up Clover's body, sobbing.

The Venomari youngling was squealing in pain. Her two little leg stumps were a bloody mess. Lily attempted to wrap her up in her face mask, but felt a pair of sharp jaws clamp down on her back. Clover was pulled from her hands, and Pythor slipped away into the darkness. Lily turned and started to go after him, but a squad of Nindroids blocked her. Enraged, Lily brutality tore through them, allowing herself to beat them to death even when they were well out of commission. Covered in oil and surrounded by machine parts, Lily felt lightheaded.

"Clover..." She reached her hand out. She had already expended too much of her power, and wasn't thinking straight. She screamed and started running. "GIVE HER BACK TO ME!"

Somebody stopped her. They wrapped their arms around her chest, hugging her to their body. Lily fought against them, but felt her energy extinguish. She began to cry. Whoever was holding her...they felt cold, in a relaxing way.

The other Ninja were arguing. There was no way to stop the ship. The countdown was at 15 seconds. Lloyd's plan? Follow them onto the ship and into the void. "We need to do everything in our power to make sure they don't reach those weapons." Lloyd said, climbing into a compartment of the ship.

"You nuts?" Cole shook him. "Ninja don't belong in space!"

"I'm with Cole. This is even beyond me." Jay said. "We're not even trained!"

"We have to try." Lloyd said to them. "You said nothing was ever going to separate us again. Well, I'm going. Are you with me or not?" He stared at them, staying where he was.

Kai clenched his fists and let out a small cry. "He's right. We don't have much of a choice!" He climbed in. Reluctantly, Jay and Cole followed. Zane was right behind them, carrying Lily along. Knowing they didn't have time, the ninja settled inside and braced themselves.

The rumbling of the ship, and Zane's gentle embrace was enough to lull Lily into a recharging sleep.

As the room shook, all the Ninja huddled together, trying to comfort each other with their presence in this insane expedition they let themselves all go on. Lloyd found his fingers searching for Lily's hand. When he did find it, he gripped it like a lifeline. Not even he was alright with this. But he had to try and be strong. His stomach was starting to lift up into his throat, and that was not a good sign. The room went dark.

Then everything stopped. The lights flickered back on. And when they all let go of each other, they found that gravity had no hold on them anymore.

Lloyd let out a cry as he bumped into Jay, sending the two Ninja in opposite directions. Cole attempted swimming in the zero-g, but that proved to be a rather unreliable method. Zane was so enamored by everything around him, he noticed too late that his grip on Lily loosened just enough to let her head bonk into a bulkhead, jolting her awake. She blinked, and looked around in bewilderment.

"Is this the greatest thing ever or what?" He exclaimed, dancing around.

"Where are you? We're trapped in space and you...where did you go?" Kai pointed at Jay, not sure what expression to use since none of them were in Ninjago anymore, and there were no clouds to get your head stuck in. The Fire Ninja was terrified beyond belief, but he had to stay cool for the sake of the others.

"Guys, we're in space. I thought this is stuff only Fritz Donnegan gets to enjoy." Jay did a moonwalk, causing his body to circle around in an arc.

"Fritz is from a comic book, dude. This is real!" Lloyd sputtered as he floated about the cabin.

"Well, you got me hooked on the character. Would you lighten up and not step on your dreams of being a real Starfarer just yet?" Jay did several poses in the air.

"We have to find a way to take control of the ship." Lloyd said. "If they get the Golden Weapons and bring back the Overlord, Ninjago doesn't stand much of a chance." Kai bumped into him, making Lloyd soar halfway across the room. He yelped, unable to control where he could go.

"But there's no access to the rest of the ship." Kai rubbed his head. "The only way out is through the same airlock we came in."

"And if my memory banks serve correct, space has a way of taking one's breath away, in the negative sense." Zane said, staring out the window into the black mass of stars. He pursed his lips together. "Hm."

"I know we have to save the world, but we have a little time! Let's just enjoy this for 5 minutes." Jay said, propelling himself with his arms. "You don't go to space every day, you know. Am I right Lily?" He looked over and smiled at his friend, who had no reaction. "...Am I right?"

She looked over with a somber expression.

A painful idea crossed Jay's mind. "Hey, has anybody seen baby Clover?"

Zane shot him a look, motioning for him to shut up.

"She's gone." Lily said. "Pythor has her."

"That doesn't mean we can't get her back." Jay said. "I'm sure she'll love to hear about our space adventure-"

"Pythor threatened to kill her!" Lily snapped. "She may not be there when we get back! Heck, _if_ we get back." She was so close to breaking down over this loss. She couldn't understand why. It was just a snake, why was she so saddened by this? Perhaps because Clover, in some way, reminded Lily of herself?

"But what if she is still alive?" Jay said. "You have to look on the bright side of things. Hope for the best." His blue eyes crinkled with his smile. "A ninja never quits. We're gonna stop these Nindroids and get home."

Lily scowled at him, but let out a shaky breath. _God, if you can hear me, let my baby be safe. Please. Let us all return home safely. Just let us be safe._ And then her gaze softened, and she hugged the Master of Lightning, her arms tight around his back. "A ninja never quits." She repeated.

"...Uh, I hate to ruin the moment, but," Zane began. "The supplemental boosters are set to detach." He pointed to the onboard computer.

"Yeah, I'm a Ninja, not an astronaut. What does that mean?" Kai scratched the back of his head.

"The portion of the ship we are currently stationed will soon detach and we will be abandoned in space with it."

"...Oh." Kai mumbled. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's find a way to not get lost in space."

Zane went over to the computer and began to search through files. After a few minutes of high-speed surfing, he pulled up a 3D version of the ship's schematics. "Okay. Near the front of the ship is an A2 storage compartment. Inside are emergency spacesuits." Zane said, pointing to the location on the screen with a finger.

Lloyd struggled to find a hold, but his sweaty hands lost grip of any metal he grabbed. Cole stuck out a leg, kicking him in the face but allowing him to hold on and not float away. "That will be a doozy." The Black Ninja muttered. "We can't get the spacesuits unless we go outside. Problem is, we can't go outside without the spacesuits. Any other suggestions?"

Kai shrugged. The air was starting to get stale.

"Wait...I am the only one who doesn't need oxygen." Zane said. "I'll have to go." He started swimming for the door, knocking away floating objects in his path.

"Zane wait!" Cole said. The nindroid looked back. "Good luck." Zane smiled and nodded in appreciation, opening the door. He floated through, and it closed. Moments later he was gone.

"Lily, you think you can tap into his feelings? Just to see how he's doing?" Jay asked. "I'm worried."

"I can try, but it won't be for long. I'm still a bit spent." Lily closed her eyes.

_Space is so big and vast. I feel so insignificant. Wait, NO! No no, not now! So black, so endless. I'll just die out here, alone and forever drifting glaring while my family dies of asphyxiation. I can't just be lost in space. I can get back. I can do this. Ice!_

Lily gasped, shaking her head to clear her mind. "He's gonna be okay." He whispered. The others sighed in relief. How did she know that, despite not knowing if he managed to grab the ship again? Faith. It was always faith.


	41. Chickweed

It all happened so fast. Zane had equipped the team with spacesuits, they climbed out of the shuttle boosters, and hung onto the wing of the craft. Below her, Lily felt the rattling of the ship as the boosters detached and fell to the earth. She tried taking slow breaths, to comprehend what was happening.

Beyond her was a vast setting of stars. She recognized a few constellations, but they seemed just a tiny bit...off. Daring to look down, Lily saw the planet and the continent of Ninjago stretching over it. It's twin was splayed out on the horizon. Islands scattered the area, and it looked strangely beautiful. So intricate, so refined, yet so chaotic all at the same time.

To think the First Spinjitsu Master was granted the power to found all of this.

"Space. Am I right?" Kai chuckled nervously. His fingers gripped the wing tightly, not wanting to let go. "So Zane. What do we do now?"

"Worry not, I burned the schematics into my memory." Zane replied. He had managed to hack into the suits' mic system to speak with them, since sound could not travel well in space. "We must get to the cockpit. There is an access hatch just ahead of us." He fingered the metal, leaving small dents in the lining. "We'll just have to, uh, get to it."

"Alright, let's take it easy then..." Lloyd said. "Zane, lead the way."

The nindroid was a little hesitant, but began to climb anyways. It was at the pace of a snail. It was so weird, hearing everyone's breathing through the mics of the interconnected suits. Cole swallowed. "You know what's also ahead? A desolate void of nothingness." He took another shaky breath. "If any one of us falls off..."

"Like Lloyd said. We'll take it slow. Together." Kai said gently.

"I can't wait to see the expressions on the faces of those metal chrome domes when they find out we stowed away onboard." Jay smiled to himself.

"They're Nindroids, nimrod, they don't have expressions." Cole grunted.

"Oh, yeah?" Jay responded. "Zane has expressions."

"Zane's not like them." Kai sighed. "Do we really have to go over this right now?"

"It's just so quiet, I'm only trying to fill the space. Get it?" He let out a shrill laugh, crackling into the speakers of the mics. "Space."

"Guys, shut up." Lloyd said. "Look." Heads turned. Passing only a few miles away from them was a comet. The comet Arcturus.

"Holy cow." Kai breathed. The reflection of the comet's tail made his amber eyes glow a bit. "So that's a comet up close?" Everyone else showed the same awe, blinked as it's brightness became too much for their retinas.

"It seems." Zane said. "Now once we get onto the roof, be quiet. If we get any closer to the cockpit, the range of our communications system will be close enough for the Nindroids to hear." He steadily inched his way over onto the roof of the craft, a door with a wheel on top of it in his sights.

"I guess space really can be pretty up close." Cole whispered, climbing up with Zane. He stayed focused on the comet's beauty, slowing a little to keep staring. He began to blink and squint, the tail burning too bright, and raised a hand to cover his eyes. In that moment, his other hand slipped from the hold and he began floating away with nothing attached. He opened his eyes and screamed.

"Cole!" Zane turned and yelled out of instinct, forgetting about the communications range.

"I gotcha buddy! Kai, my foot!" Jay took a leap of faith and just in time, Kai gripped his ankle. Jay reached out for Cole, catching him by the feet of his suit. Cole was sweating horribly, still frightened. Kai began to slip just a bit from the motions of the other two, and Lily grabbed him, using a little power to hold herself down.

Zane sighed in relief and opened the access hatch. He looked back and nodded. Jay managed to swing Cole back onto the craft, and hooked his own arm onto a railing. The ninja steadily followed Zane into the wide and dark room within, floating inside with intense carefulness. It was pitch-black, save for the red light coming off of all the technology around them. Cole closed the hatch above them.

"Strange." Zane murmured. "This was supposed to lead to a hallway, not a computer closet."

"Shh. Aren't we in their range?" Kai asked quietly.

The lights flickered on. They found themselves in the aforementioned hallway; surrounded by red-eyed nindroids on both sides. A tiny nindroid stepped out from the left side, staring at Zane with a murderous glare.

"Oh." Zane said. "I, uh, can we talk about this instead of-"

The tiny nindroid delivered a gruesome punch to Zane's stomach. He crashed into the others, and they fell like bowling pins with no gravity. The min-droid was back in all his glory, and he still had his sights set on destroying Lily. He leapt up, his feet clamping down onto the ceiling using some sort of magnetic technology. Lily let out a small squeal of surprise upon seeing him again.

He raised a gun towards her face. Lily tried desperately to swim out of his reach.

Before he could fire, Jay reached up and yanked the rifle from his arms. He leveled it to an arm and fired, the laser flying straight in the nindroid's spine. He flailed a bit before his systems went offline.

"No need to fear!" Jay laughed, firing some more shots at the nindroids. "Fritz Donnegan is here!" The wide hallway allowed for easy combat without getting squished together.

Kai turned to the other side and allowed his hand to heat up, searing off the glove. Oxygen began to seep out, and a white-hot ball of fire curled up into his palm. "Zane!"

The nindroid quickly dispatched a ray of ice onto Kai's sleeve, stopping the leak. Ignoring the pain of the cold, Kai used the leaked oxygen to fire multiple targeted flames at the nindroids. They resembled Tesla coils in shape and color, minus the lightning. The nindroids screamed as their metal was melted off in seconds.

"Ninja, go!" Cole yelled, spinning around, but only to lose control and vault himself in the direction of the nindroids.

"We can't use our Spinjitzu in zero gravity. There's too little resistance!" Zane reminded the team. Cole barreled into the nindroid group, still offset by their injuries, and let them smack into each other. Their burning metal melted whoever else it touched, and Cole was floating with several metal lumps of nindroid.

"For a brick, he flew pretty good." Kai chuckled.

"I heard you!" Cole yelled, shaking his fist. "Come on, let's get to the cockpit!"

"Aye aye!" Jay smiled and gave a mock salute, nindroid corpses floating behind him. Who knew he was such a good shot? The ninja looted the rifles from their defeated enemies and pushed themselves off of the walls and down the hallway.

Lloyd slipped and began floating in the other direction. He yelped, waving his arms around, but Lily caught him. "Didn't you say nothing was going to separate us again?" She smiled. Lloyd gave her a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, I did."

...

"FEAR ISN'T A WORD WHERE I COME FROooom?" Jay trailed off of his sentence when they stormed the cockpit. There wasn't a single sole in sight, or a trace of maniacal machinery. Just a computer screen reading "AUTO-PILOT".

"Did they trick us?" Lloyd wondered aloud.

"Maybe they realized how badass we are and ran the other way!" Jay said, shrugging with his gun in hand. "Can't blame them."

"No, it could be a trap." Lily murmured, floating to a station and accessing the files on it. "I gotta find camera footage. That can give us an idea of where they went."

The computer suddenly glitched, and a strange symbol came up. The rest of the screens in the room followed suite, but each with a different symbol. Lily strode over to the pilot's chair, and the "AUTO-PILOT" screen shut down. From where she stood, they each spelled out a message:

_**FOUND YOU.** _

Cryptor himself dropped from the ceiling, and broke through Lily's suit with a foot. All the air she was breathing suddenly burst out, her face rippling from the force of the leak. Her throat felt dry, and she desperately clawed at the air, trying to breathe normally. The air came in small doses, and her lungs barely expanding to accommodate it. Soon enough she was gasping.

"Get away from her!" Zane screamed, flying over with a sharp kick to Cryptor's jaw. He encased Lily's head in ice, and she could breathe normally again (although her vision was obscured). The rest of her oxygen tanks flowed silently throughout the icy helmet made for her. It would have to be enough, for now.

Zane fired his gun multiple times through Cryptor's armor, but barely left a dent. Cryptor let out a laugh. "I am the most advanced model. Do you really think I'd let myself be as suspicable to injuries as the rest of my fleet?"

"We have to help him!" Lloyd reached out for him, but Kai held him back.

"No! We'll only get him or ourselves hurt. We have to help some other way..." He looked around the room for an idea. "Wait..."

Cryptor and Zane flew about the cabin in a ball of rage and fury. Zane grabbed at his mask, trying to tear it apart with his bare hands. "Why do you fight us Zane?" Cryptor asked, not even noticing what Zane was doing. "We are like you, and you are like us. We are connected. In fact, we are basically brothers!" He smiled.

"How dare you..." Zane grunted, "Even say that!" He tore Cryptor's mask into pieces, exposing the wired machinery underneath. Cryptor was actually surprised by this, relaxing his body just a bit. Zane took this advantage, and hooked his arms under Cryptor's, flipping him around. "My father did not have a part in creating you!" He suplexed Cryptor onto a wall, denting it. "You are a soulless machine!"

"But we are both still machines." Cryptor said, his voice box glitching like an old tape recorder.

"But I am more than a machine!" The white ninja yelled. "I AM ZANE!" He used his powers to vault himself forward, crushing Cryptor's chest. The general sputtered with electrical charges, clearly still alive, but he stayed in the wall. He stared at Zane with a sour expression, the only sound coming from him was strange gurgling and broken radio chatter. The computer screens reverted to their original states.

" _Please prepare yourself for landing. There will be mild turbulence._ " The autopilot said. And the whole ship lurched foreword.


	42. Fuchsia

Lloyd opened his emerald green eyes. His team laid scattered around the cockpit, the ship no longer moving. The gravity around him felt...off. But it was certainly there.

"Zane...that was amazing." Kai said, getting up.

Lloyd looked to where they left Cryptor. He was still there, no expression on his face. He stared at Lloyd, cold and undaunting. The green ninja shivered.

Cole suddenly cried out. "Guys, help!"

Lloyd turned to his friend, worried he may have been hurt, but his heart burned when he saw who Cole was talking about. During the crash, the ice around Lily had broken off, and she laid there with a slightly purple face. It certainly wasn't from her power, and she was trying to do everything she could to keep her mouth shut.

The others rushed over. "There has to be more oxygen on the ship, right? They stole it from StarX." Jay said. "Ships do have emergency oxygen tanks, right?"

"They should, if the nindroids haven't disabled it." Zane said. "But we don't have time to find it!"

"Give her mine." Lloyd said, not even giving it another thought.

"Dude!" Kai yelped. "What about you? If anybody is sacrificing their breath-"

"I'm the green Ninja and leader of this team!" Lloyd said. "It's my duty to take care of my teammates when they are down. I'd do the same thing if it were you, Kai." It was a true statement, from his heart. He looked at Zane. "Hook me up to her tank."

The White Ninja calculated a few things, and nodded. "Understood. Take a deep breath Lloyd. I'll be leaving some in for you, but only for a few short breaths."

"Okay." Lloyd sucked in some air and held it.

"Disconnecting." Zane took off an air cable and attached it to Lily's tank. He sprayed some more ice over her broken helmet, and Lily gasped.

"Thank you, Lloyd." She said, looking at him. Lloyd slowly let out a breath, smiling at her.

"Cole, help me find the emergency oxygen." Jay said. "They do have some on the ship, a few hallways down." He pointed to a computer listing available supplies. The two ninja ran into the depths of the ship, their footsteps making little to no sound. Jay didn't like the sound of his and Cole's own breaths, and tried to make up conversation. "So, who is it you like?"

"Excuse me?!" Cole yelped.

"Just trying to make conversation. Sorry." Jay said.

"Apology accepted. I'll tell you when I don't wanna die in a hole just thinking about how _he_ might react."

"Fine, I can respect that...tell me though, is he at least cute?" Jay snickered.

Cole waited a moment before answering. "Yes, actually. He's very, very cute. He's perfect." He found a room and slammed the button with a fist, opening its doors. Rows of oxygen tanks lined the walls. "Score!"

Lloyd's lungs hurt. He took short breaths, trying to ignore his body screaming at him to breathe! He sat there in agony, until Cole and Jay returned with a few tanks. "We gotcha buddy!" Jay grunted from the weight of the delivery. "Sh-showoff..." Cole was holding two with ease under his arms. Zane quickly attached them to Lloyd and Lily's suits, and they breathed normally for what felt like the first time in forever.

"Maybe we should find new suits as well." Kai held up his sleeve. The ice had a small crack in it, and some oxygen was wheezing out. "Or something better to put over than ice. Uh, no offense Zane!" He added quickly.

"None taken, I agree. I'll go look." Zane bounded out of the cockpit.

Jay pressed his helmet up to the window and squinted. "Nindroid tracks." He pointed to some lines in the dirt. "At least if we can't get to them before they get the weapons, they'll be expecting our welcome party."

"Yeah, but they're probably gonna arm themselves to the teeth." Kai sighed.

"But you saw what Zane did to General 'Advanced' over there!" Jay jabbed a finger in Cryptor's direction. The nindroid general gave him a dirty look.

"Still." Kai reminded Jay. "We always have to be ready for the worst." Jay thought for a moment and shrugged.

"Guys, are you forgetting we're on an extraterrestrial rock?" Lily said. "There are a million things here we need to take into consideration. The environment. The gravity. Possible lifeforms." She counted them off with her hand. "Kai is right. We need to be absolutely prepared."

Zane returned with suits. They were a little banged up from the crash, but they were still working and ready. Zane removed sections of the suits and reattached them to Lily and Kai's, using a few tools he found around the ship. In no time, the ninja were ready to go hunt the nindroids down. Their tracks in the dirt resembled that of a rover's.

"What were the Golden Weapons like?" Lily asked as they maneuvered their way to the last moon rover.

"Awesome, that's what." Cole answered. "They were these artifacts, each carved with the shape of a dragon. It was amazing to even touch one of them."

"But not all of them." Kai reminded him. "Okay, how do we fit in here?" He inspected the vehicle, the small space making problems for the group.

The solution was a rather tight squeeze only made possible by Zane putting everyone together like a puzzle. The nindroid started up the machine, and slowly drove out to follow their tracks. As the wheels met rocky ground, Lily's helmet bounced against the back of the seat. She had to curl her body to fit on top of the others, in the odd pile they sat on.

"Argh! Move your gas tank, I can't see." Jay wiggled a bit where he sat.

"Dude, your blaster is in my rib." Kai complained.

"Ugh, that's not a blaster, that's my leg."

"Zane, you're squeezing my arm." Cole squeaked.

"I thought that was the accelerator." Zane replied meekly.

Lily quietly sat through the arguing with a pained expression on her face. As much as she loved her family of ninja, their irritation often chipped away at her. Up ahead was a cave, a strange light shining from it. Kai let out a small gasp. "That must be where the Golden Weapons are. Lloyd, take us in quietly."

"Roger that." He parked the rover behind a rock, and wiggled an arm to open the door. His legs were asleep, and he tripped over himself getting out. This caused everyone to promptly fall out onto each other.

"I said quietly, dude." Kai hissed. Lloyd shook the dirt from the front of his helmet and apologized. They moved out, trying to be quiet but finding difficulty with the large space suits strapped onto them. Huddling against the walls of the cave's mouth, the team followed the source of the light. Inside, the cave slowly went downhill, until it revealed a large indent in the ground. In the middle was a lump of gold. The light coming off of it was enough to make Lily's retinas burn.

"So what do we do now?" Cole whispered.

"I'm not sure yet. They haven't even gotten to transporting the weapons." Zane murmured. There was a small circle of nindroids standing around the lump, talking amongst themselves.

"Shiny. " A nindroid said, reaching out to touch the remains of the Weapons. One of the other nindroids attempted to stop him, but the curious one already laid a single finger on the gold-and vanished into thin air. There wasn't a trace of him left. The rest of the group slowly backed away.

"Those are the weapons alright." Jay nodded in approval.

Zane stared at the scene, trying to come up with an inkling of a plan in his head. His fingers twitched on the rock, and a small bug flew by and crawled onto his hand. Distracted, Zane lifted it up to take a closer look. "Oh. Hello little friend."

Jay gasped upon seeing it. "Aww! Would you look at that?" He put out his hand and let the insect crawl onto it. "Can you believe it? It's an extraterrestrial lifeform." It had a glistening green exoskeleton, and a mouth that opened sideways.

"It's a _bug_." Cole said bluntly. "And it's not what's important right now."

"Oh, there's so much we could learn from it. So much we could teach it. I'm gonna call him Glowy." Jay poked it on the head, making "Glowy" open it's wings and flutter them. "Oh look, Glowy can fly. How cute." Jay smiled as Glowy flew onto his helmet, inspecting the space suit he was wearing. His thorax wiggled as he walked on Jay's face.

Zane looked down to see an assortment of the same species crawling onto his legs. He shifted unceremoniously from leg to leg, their little feet tickling him. "I wonder," he said in-between laughs. "How many there are?" One bug nibbled at his face, making Zane recoil.

Kai shrugged and stepped forward to help get the bugs off of them. "I dunno-"

_CRUNCH._

He looked down and slowly picked up his foot. The squashed remains of a space bug were directly underneath. Some mercury-like substance was leaking from it's crushed thorax. The buzzing of wings stopped, and every single bug's head turned towards Kai. Jay glared at Kai.

The Red Ninja gave them a nervous laugh. "Whoops?"

He was enveloped in a swarm of green, screaming loud enough for the nindroids to hear. The bugs opened their mouths and a second set of teeth shot out, grabbing onto his space suit and chewing through the metal bits with ease. Zane still had a multitude of bugs on him, and they had turned hostile as well. He tried swiping them off as they ate through his exoskeleton.

"Jay? Can you zap them?!" Lloyd asked.

"I can try! I'm sorry if this hurts!" Lightning shot from his hands, and hit one bug. The metal in it's tiny belly acted as a conduit to the others, and a web of lightning was hitting each one from Kai all the way back to Zane. The ninja screamed bloody murder when the lightning inevitably hit their bodies. Charred exoskeletons dropped like flies. Only a few more remaining, and the soft humming of wings let them know that wasn't the last of them.

"They eat through metal!" Zane realized, scratching at his skin. "Wait a minute...they eat through metal."

Lloyd took one look at the bugs and at the nindroids, who had surrounded the Golden Lump and had their blasters trained on the ninja. "So we weaponize it." He said. "Use yourself as bait!" He launched down the hill. The bugs ignored him and kept eating at Zane. Lloyd noticed this too late and tripped over a rock trying to look behind him, flopping face first in front of the nindroids.

They wasted no time getting out their weapons and firing. Lloyd barely managed to dodge.

"NINJA GO!" Lily spun down the hill, her tornado picking up Lloyd and carrying him behind a boulder for cover. The two covered their heads when more lasers fire over them.

"Thanks." Lloyd said.

"Well, you did save my life earlier with your gas tank. It's the least I could do."

"I feel like we're always saving each other," Lloyd turned to smile at Lily. "Even after the prophecy." The two stared at one another, contemplating this. Their moment was interrupted as a swarm of bugs descended on them and the nindroids, Zane quickly sliding behind the rock. He squished himself between them and cowered a bit.

"Sorry Lloyd. I had to use myself as bait." He winced as bits of coolant leaked from some particularly nasty bites. "I'm not sure I like bugs anymore."

"You've done enough Zane, we'll protect you." Lily unhooked her blaster from her belt and looked over the boulder, giving the panicked Nindroids a few shots. The earth opened up, and several stalagmites shot out with lethal force, tearing the nindroids in half. More sharp spikes of rock grew from their tips, aiming for the bugs and impaling them.

The trio looked back to at the mountain, where Cole stood, heaving. He dusted off his hands. "Only I get to beat up Zane and live to tell the tale." He said. Cole glanced over to the boulder, and Zane gave him a thumbs up. Then his hand fell off.

" _Moya ruka_!" Zane shrieked. Lloyd grabbed it and attempted to stick it back onto his wrist, with little accuracy.

"Okay, so we got the nindroids knocked out. What do we do?" Jay slid down the hill, staring at the Golden Lump.

"We could try bringing it back." Cole shrugged. "I mean, that could cause a lot of problems, but I think it's better if it's in our hands. Who knows if the Nindroids will try this plan again? And maybe, just maybe, we get our Golden Weapons back."

"How?" Kai tugged at the rope, connecting the lump to a moon rover.

"The way the First Spinjitsu Master did it."

Lloyd and Lily helped Zane walk over. "I'm not sure if it's even possible." The Green Ninja mused. "This is the First Spinjitsu Master we're talking about. He's on another level than even me."

"Can't hurt to try." Cole pulled on the rope, dragging the lump into the trunk of the rover. "Anyways, let's get this baby back home." He patted the chassis of the vehicle. Cole, Zane, and Jay got into the rover, while Kai, Lily, and Lloyd rode behind them in the first one they took. No nindroids, no bugs...strange.

They stopped at the ship, and prepared to unload the delivery-when Lily felt something hit her in the back. She felt a bit woozy, and fainted.

"Lily?" Lloyd felt something on his back too, and fell. One by one the ninja were knocked out, and Cryptor emerged from the ship. Flanked by his remaining nindroid troops, which he had told to hide so the ninja wouldn't destroy them, they took the golden weapons. Just before he was lifted into the air of space by one of his comrades, Cryptor went over to Zane and kicked him in the chin.

Satisfied, the nindroids left with the payload.

...

Lily blinked, opening her eyes early and pushing herself up from the ground. "What...happened?" There was a lack of shining gold next to her.

"Does anybody else feel..." Jay's sentence cut off when he saw the weapons were gone. He turned to the ship, stumbling, and was met with a carcass. Only bits and pieces of the ship's metal exterior still existed, the rest having been ingested by the bugs. Currently, the hive of bugs had laid themselves like a blanket over the ship, snoozing. They were getting ready to feed on the interior soon. "Guys."

The others struggled to stand.

"Th-h-h-the ship-p's go-gone-go-gone..." Zane murmured. His voice sounded different, clicking and stuttering. Judging from his new injuries, the bugs had snacked on him too.

"That means-no, it can't be!" Cole cried out. "No!"

Nobody else had the strength to say it out loud.

They were stranded. And the nindroids had the Weapons.


	43. Phlox

Cole struck the ground, each punch causing more cracks to appear in the surface.

"Cole, will you stop that?!" Jay yelled at him. "You're gonna tear this asteroid apart!"

"And so what?" He stood up, easily staring Jay down. "We're gonna die on this thing! May as well get it over with! We have no food," He began counting off all of these things on his fingers. "We will run out of oxygen sooner or later, we have no water, and-ARGH!" He gave a nearby rock structure a punch. It slid off cleanly, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Lily watched them joylessly. She could barely believe they were stuck here. Of course, Kai, Lloyd, and Jay were attempting to find some scraps of the ship that still worked. Like that would help. The bugs had destroyed most of the ship's components by now. There was no hope.

"Dearie, whin ye have no more hope, caw to God." Her grandmother had said. "It doesn't hurt tae pray, especially whin ye'r on yer last limb."

Lily figured she could do nothing else. She bent her lead down between her knees and just...prayed. Poured her soul out. Every worry, every sorrow she had, she laid it out on the table (metaphorically speaking). She prayed she'd be bale to go home. She prayed she and her friends would make it. She prayed that whatever this burning feeling in her heart was, she'd find out exactly what it is.

And at that moment, Kai screamed "IT'S WORKING! One of the boosters is working!"

Lily, Cole, and Zane turned. Kai and Jay were standing next to one of the ship's thrusters, which was letting off weak spurts of fire. It wasn't much, but it was certainly something. Hope seemed to reignite in their hearts. Lloyd clapped a fist to his palm. "Guys, this means we can get the ship working again! Or better yet...make another!" He pointed to the rest of the ship, or the parts that hadn't been feasted on. " _Arcturus_ may not fly, but she'll give us all the metal we need. And Zane knows this solar system better than anyone."

"And Kai's fire could weld the missing parts." Zane offered.

Kai nodded, liking this idea. "Cole's manpower could do all the heavy lifting."

"Not to mention, Jay has enough electricity and nerd knowledge to make a halfway believable spacecraft." Cole chimed in.

"Hey!" Jay yelled at him. "...Hey. This could actually work. Violet Ninja!" He pointed to Lily, dramatically. "What can you contribute?"

"Uh..." Lily was at a loss. "I'll keep the bugs away, and whatever else you guys need!"

"That's wonderful! Alright team, let's do this thing!"

Like the shifting of cogs in a clock, everyone started doing what they were assigned. Cole tore pieces off of the ship and interconnected them into a rather sorry looking box. Zane, albeit injured, tried his best to rewire any computer components into the new ship while Lloyd and Kai covered the aircraft with 15 layers of welded metal. Lily went over to Zane. "Here, let me help." She lifted up the monitor and stack of wires with a grunt.

Zane smiled warmly. "Thank you." His hand fell off again, and he grabbed at it on the ground.

"Kai! Think you can weld Zane back together too?" Lily asked. She was met with a nod from the Fire Master.

Somehow, yes, somehow, in just a couple of hours, they had managed to make a craft Zane deemed able to burn through Ninjago's atmosphere without harming the ninja. It was shabby, and looked like a school project, but it was going to get them home. As everyone else admired the ship, Kai put the finishing touches on Zane; he had lost most of his skin, but he was able to move again without losing a hand or a leg. His mechanical exoskeleton was beautiful.

"Now the question is...can we all fit in there?" Cole tapped a finger to the bottom of his helmet.

"If we suck our breaths in and squish like sardines, yeah." Jay opened the hatch and hopped inside. "Who's ready to get off this astroid?"

One by one, the ninja climbed inside. The result was a rather uncomfortable seating chart. Each Ninja was able to keep themselves stable by use of seatbelts, but Lily hung upside down and that certainly didn't feel good for her head. Zane moved to adjust himself in his straps, and accidentally elbowed Cole in the stomach. "Sorry!" He said quickly. Cole smiled and said it wasn't a problem.

"A'it, final check. Boosters?

"Check."

Electronics?"

"Check."

"Navigation?"

"Check."

"How are we holding together?"

"Bubblegum and a wish."

Lloyd smiled, satisfied. "Let's go home, fellas." He nodded to Zane, who started the engine. The crackling of Jay's electricity began to thrum, and the ship shook. Through the tiny window, Lily saw the comet's ground grow smaller, and eventually whizz past them with a speed she didn't know. Her brain felt rather foggy.

"We're close to the planet. We should reach atmosphere in 20 minutes." Zane said. Lily just bit her tongue and tried not to throw up. As they neared Ninjago's curvature, she felt something, like this dark feeling in her liver. She recognized it, but couldn't place what it was. Time passed in seconds.

"Shoot! My energy's running out!" Jay rubbed his hands together. "I thought it would be enough."

"Then put more in!" Cole barked.

"I may fry us alive if I do that!" Jay rolled his eyes. "This isn't a magic trick, it's gonna be over a billion volts of electricity!" He looked around, his grip on his straps tightening. "What else can we use?"

"My power source!" Zane said.

"What?! Your-your-no!" Cole said. "Dangerous!"

"It's all we have. And it will work. It has before." He tore open his chest compartment and grabbed one of the cords, which sparked with electricity from the end. He forced it into his chest, screaming as it made contact. After a few moments, a steady flow of energy began to run through the ship.

"Zane, are you alright?" Lily asked.

"I'm fine. Hurts a bit." He shifted in his seat. "Oi."

The ship kept going steady, following the gravity of the comet. As they neared their landing point, Jay made the ship turn just enough to bounce off and vault into the atmosphere. "Zane, I'm gonna need a lotta power from you." Jay got ready to hit the switch. "I'm sorry about this!"

"Sorry about mOTHER OF-" Zane's voice cut off, eliciting into a silent scream as Jay turned the ship. He grimaced, hating what he was doing to his brother, but they both knew there was no other choice. When they finally got into the right path, the flow of energy stilled just a bit. The atmosphere was 9 minutes away. Zane seemed to be at his limit.

"Zane? Dude?" Jay called out to his friend, who only stared at him with hooded eyes.

Lily had an idea. She reached over, her power swirling through her hand. She could heal others using her energy, but what if she fed them that energy directly? She hoped it would be enough to keep Zane alive. With his soul coursing through the ship, she could feel his gentle embrace telling her she could do it. With the tips of her fingers touching his, she started the flow.

"What...?" Zane sat up a little straighter, fingering at his own wires. "How...?"

"Because you mean...a lot to me..." Lily strained, her blood vessels showing through her skin. She cried out when the ship went through turbulence, the gravity of Ninjago pulling at them. She severed her connection, and fell back into her seat, heaving.

"Almost there!" Kai said.

"Don't worry about me. I must use my power to hold our vessel together." Zane clutched the cord, driving it further into his heart.

"I wish somebody had told me this would be so...gory." Lloyd said to himself. He looked out the window. "We're about to enter the atmosphere!"

"We're gonna burn up!" Jay screeched.

"I can't hold on much longer!" Zane said through his teeth. Lloyd looked around at his team, his brothers, a barely conscious Lily. He decided to do what was right and unclasped his straps.

"What are you doing?!" Cole shrieked. "You're gonna get thrown around the cabin!"

"Just take my hands!" Lloyd held them out. Kai and Jay grabbed on. Cole took Jay's, Zane took Cole's, Lily took Zane's, who circled back around to Kai. Lloyd summoned a such energy as he could. "Hold on everyone!"

"Lloyd!"

The ship burst apart, and everyone was wrapped into Lloyd's shield. The orb protected them from any outside obstacles, even if it almost burned away their spacesuits. Sweat beaded onto Lloyd's forehead, and he refused to let it go down even as fire burned all around them. Combined, they could do this. They could overcome everything.

"You're not alone..." Jay gripped Lloyd's hand tighter. "We got you buddy."

Lloyd's knuckles were white. "Don't...let...go."

"We won't ever let go." Kai affirmed. "We're ninja. And family."

Cole nodded. "No matter how different we are."

"Or how annoying we can get." Zane smiled.

"We're here." Lily whispered. Her gaze met Lloyd's, and she gave him a look of determination. Her feelings pressed through his connection, and they hurled over the city. Zane scanned the surroundings, his blue eyes flickering from one location to the next.

"I sense something evil is amongst us."

Lloyd gasped, and the shield dissipated. Everyone flew downwards, still holding onto each other. Cole let go first, and started spinning "EARTH!" This technique let him to stay in the air long enough not to get flattened into a pancake. The others followed suite. Lloyd was still too tired to manage, so Lily grabbed his arm and began to spin with him. A purple tornado flashed into view, and landed on the ground-just a few miles away from the city. The two stumbled and fell over on each other. Everyone was lying face-up, admiring the clouds.

Jay started laughing. "We made it. We did it guys."

"Really?"

"We're in Ninjago!"

"I'm gonna throw up." Cole moaned.

Everyone started laughing, just happy that this crazy plan worked. Lily turned over to Lloyd, still breathing heavily. "We need to start making a list. Of how many times we save each other."

Lloyd thought for a moment. "For today...if we count my shield, we're even."

"That works."

They all got up, shaking their heads and trying to figure out what to do. Well, for starters, they couldn't go to Ninjago City-the Nindroids had done their work and somehow transformed the city into an impenetrable fortress. The best solution was to regroup at Garmadon's monastery and clean themselves up for the next fight.

Kai pulled out his phone, which now had good range, and called his sister. "Nya? Nya, it's me! We're alive!"

" _Kai?_ " She asked, wearily over the phone. " _YOU MADE IT?! YOU'RE ALIVE! Where are you?! Never mind, I-I'll track your signal! Stay right there!_ " Her voice was cracking, on the edge of crying. The call ended, Kai shrugging. In only 18.7 minutes there was the sharp rev of an engine. It was Nya's Samurai X vehicle, with the mech strapped to the back soaring towards them, screeching to a halt with little care. The samurai got out and launched into Kai, forcing him down on the ground again. 

"Nya, you're squishing me!"

"KAI, YOU IDIOT! NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!" She began to bang her fists weakly against his chest. "I thought you were DEAD!" She began to cry. "I didn't know what I would do without you." Kai sat up and hugged his bawling sister, laughing.

"Well, I'm here now. And if you wouldn't mind giving us a ride...?"


	44. White Lily

Only hours passed before the ninja stood before New Ninjago City. Armed with their weapons, vehicles, and whatever specks of hope were left, they discussed their plan to get inside the walls. Cyrus had sent them a message informing them of the only safe place in the entire city-the Temple of Fortitude. That was their destination.

"Everyone, stay together." Lloyd instructed. "Kai. You, Nya, and Zane take the high road. We'll make our own road." He revved his bike, some smoke blowing off of it. The former 3 shot off into the sky, Nya's mech hanging off of Kai's jet to save fuel. The others hit the accelerator and the road burned with skid marks and footsteps.

Lily kept her mech crouched down like a buggy, before vaulting upwards and crashing into the buildings. Ignoring any collateral damage, Lily landed in the middle of the streets, her impact shaking the road. There were too many corners and too many variables. Her best chance was up.

The city proved to be a devastated mess even on top of the buildings as Lily climbed their walls and leapt from one roof to the next. It was like a video game, that's all. Move the stick and dodge obstacles. Easy. She survived the apocalypse once.

Her speed and height let her see almost the entire city. Up ahead was Ninjago Central Park, and the Temple of Fortitude-which she previously thought was just a library-stood off to the side. She flew off the building, crushing several cars landing.

" _NYA'S DOWN! I REPEAT, NYA'S DOWN!_ " Kai screamed through the mic. Lily moved to turn around and get her, but a chorus of voices distracted her.

" _I'm going back for her._ " Cole said.

Jay scoffed. " _No, I'll go back._ "

" _Go back, and our probability to make it to the Temple exponentially diminishes._ " Zane said.

"What?!" Lily yelled at him.

" _This isn't about numbers, Zane. It's about family._ " Kai snapped at the nindroid.

" _Everyone else head to the Temple, we'll go pick up Nya._ " Lloyd said, trying to stop the arguing. " _It's not a game._ "

Skirting by a destroyed gelato stand, Lily gripped her controls and bit her lip. She parked next to the Temple and ascend the stairs. "I'm here. How are you guys holding-" A crackle of static boomed in her ear, and she tore the earbud off in pain. "Guys?!" The doors kicked open on their own. Wind began to whip her hair around violently, and she turned to see what-or who, was causing the storm. Her eyes widened.

A golden tornado of massive size was flattening a path, and the ninja just barely escaping it's grasp. It had to be from the Golden Master, or Overlord Virus, or whatever the Nindroids had cooked up. Honestly, Lily didn't care what to call it anymore. She just wanted to stop it from hurting her home.

She went behind the doors and grabbed the right hatch, ready to slam the door shut when they were all safe inside. A car pulled up next to the Temple, the two elderly brothers hopping out, along with PIXAL. Garmadon spotted Lily. "Let me help you!" He took the other hatch. Having barely outrun the tornado, the ninja practically leapt into the Temple interior. She and Garmadon closed the doors shut, fighting against the wind. There was a soft thud, and the entire building shivered with gold. Carefully, Lily let go of the doors, and sighed in relief when they stayed closed. Nya was with them, her armor dented and seared. She wasn't in good shape, but Kai held onto her.

"Everyone! I'm so glad you could make it!" Cyrus wheeled up to the group. He didn't look good. He had several bruises on his face and cuts from technology forced into his body. PIXAL ran up to him.

"Mr. Borg-f-father!" She cried out. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, PIXAL-really, I am-stop scanning me!" He tried to bat his creation away to no avail.

"I am your assistant." She said firmly. "My job is to make sure you are well."

Cyrus sighed in defeat. "Alright everyone. Come, come."

"You said you had a weapon that could stop him, right?" Lloyd asked.

"Ph, but I do." He smiled. "It's my best protected secret." He went over to a strange-looking case. A tap of a screwdriver began to undo the locks.

"It is well-protected." Zane observed.

"Is it an ancient curse?" Lloyd peered at the casing.

Kai smirked and rubbed his hands together. "I say fire power." Lloyd gave him an unimpressed look.

"Is it dangerous? Is it alive?" Jay's own questions came a million a mile. "Does it come with a manual? Is it a-a-a-"

Cyrus pulled out a small box, opened it, and revealed a tube-shaped object as big as his hand. It had a strange engraving on it, resembling a heart monitor, and it was colored a gun metal gray.

Jay squinted at it. "A pill." He chuckled to himself, before pulling a 180 and screeching at Cyrus, "A PILL?!"

"Yes!" Cyrus agreed excitedly. "Well, actually, a nano pill. For all of time, scientists have been searching for the holy grail of inventions." He stopped for intentional dramatic effect. "A _diet pill_ that _actually works_!" He lifted it into the air, laughing hysterically. PIXAL allowed herself to facepalm. Everyone else stayed silent, staring at Borg in confusion.

"Wait until you are old, you'll see why it's so important." Garmadon said dryly. He shifted closer to the inventor, lowering his voice. "Tell me, Borg. Does it work?"

"No. But the nanotechnology inside has an adverse effect. It not only shrinks your waistline, but miniaturizes you as well."

"You've made a shrinking pill?" Zane came closer and inspected it. Garmadon attempted to try and push him away.

"Let me get this straight. You want us to get close to this guy, who has armor that with the mere touch, would make us toast, and you want us to give him a pill?"

Cyrus grinned. "Precisely!"

Garmadon and Wu huddled together, and began to discuss something about their past excursions. Once they broke apart, Wu slammed the butt of his staff onto the ground. "Ninja, if you can provide us an opening, then you can count on _us_ give the Golden Master his medicine."

"But his armor?" Jay threw up his hands as if it were obvious. "How do we protect ourselves?"

Garmadon thought for a moment. "If this is the same Temple the Overlord used against my father, then..." His old eyes lit up, and he pointed to the busts of Stone Warriors along the walls. "The armor! It should do the same-protect you from the Golden Armor's effects!"

Cole rapped one of them with a knuckles. "These old things?" He took it off the stand. "But they seem so aged."

"So were the Golden Weapons," Wu quipped, "But they worked out for you just fine."

Cole frowned, and slid the hollowed bust over his head. As soon as it fit, the thing broke, but the pieces quickly melded with his gi and it shone with a new, silvery power. He looked down at it, smiling. "Oh yeah. This'll be good."

The others quickly dragged the busts off the walls and allowed them to break over their outfits to create Stone Armor. Most of the busts had already broke, which rendered them useless. Zane turned to PIXAL and tried to give his to her. "No." She pushed it away. "You are vital to this mission. I will be fine." She made sure Zane put the armor on, and then gave him a hug. "Please stay safe. I'd hate to lose you."

"I'll be back. You won't be alone." He squeezed her tighter.

Nya let go of her brother's shoulder and tried to stand on her own, but the pain in her leg was

"I want to help somehow." She pleaded. "I don't feel right just staying here." Kai gave her a reassuring pat to the shoulder. She turned and saw Lily walk over. "No, you need to save all your power for this fight!" The samurai said, waving her hands at Lily. "I...I am hurt pretty bad. I can figure out another way to-"

"Nya, you matter as much to this cause as they do." Lily said. "Samurai or not, we'll need all hands on deck." Nya couldn't exactly argue with that. She allowed Lily to heal her extensive wounds. Cyrus adjusted his glasses, watching the phenomenon. Nya got up, flexing her hands.

The building shook. Jay speed-walked over to Nya. She sighed. "Jay-" He cut her off with a hug.

"I'm sorry I called you a player. I was just so angry. Nya, you are a person I care about very much, and I don't wanna go down with us still feeling like this." He said.

Nya closed her eyes and embraced him further. "I'm sorry too. I never should have kept it secret as long as I did."

"Don't apologize. You just did what you thought was right!" Jay let go and gave her a kiss on the cheek, much to Kai's disgust. "Now let's go bring down that big son of a biscuit."

From afar, Cole smiled.

The seal around the building tore in two, and the nindroid army advanced. Cryptor, wearing a new suit, led them. Nya stared at him and cracked her knuckles. "I got a bone to pick with him. He's the one who shot me down."

The Golden Master stood atop several buildings in a web of Golden string. He stared down at the ninja, his nightmarish face in full view. His strange, nebula-like skin rippled with anger. "NINJAAAA!" He screeched.

"Senseis, what do you need us to do?" Kai asked the brothers.

Garmadon twisted the pill in his hand. "Get us to the top of that building." He pointed to his left. "We can take care of the rest."

In the opposite direction, a child screamed. Everyone turned to find several water pipes sticking out fo the ground and aiming for several schoolchildren.

Lloyd turned. "We have to save the people!"

"We also have to get the Senseis closer!" Kai argued. "What do we do?!"

The pipes grew closer, surrounding them. It seemed the choice would be made too late...until a bolt of acid broke through the pipe's metal, searing them in half. The ground beneath the citizens rumbled, and several Constrictai flew up. A Hypnobrai climbed out after them, along with a Venomari. "PROTECT THE PEOPLE!" He screamed.

From the ground burst more snakes, ready to fight for their land and save old enemies. The ninja just...stared, dumbfounded. "Snakes on our side." Kai nodded. "Never thought I'd see the day."

This reignited Lily's rage against Pythor. She'd find out where he took her baby Clover. She'd get her back. She just had to wait a little longer. Nya vaulted through the Nindroids, trying to clear a path, when Cryptor grabbed her by the arm.

"Going somewhere?" He smiled. "What is that perfume I smell? Fear?"

"Actually, it's called Damsel in Distress." She growled. "But I don't think it suits me."

Cryptor tightened his grip. "You think you can mock me?" The others started to move in, but Jay held them back. He knew what she was up to.

"Of course. Doesn't everyone? I mean, even that little guy knows you're short of a hard drive."

"Min-Droid?" Cryptor laughed. "That little piece of scrap isn't even fit to tighten my bolts. I've met toasters more intelligent than him."

A short, battered nindroid emerged from the crowd and tapped his shoulder. Cryptor turned. "What?"

Mindroid fired his laser straight into Cryptor's eyes. He let go of Nya, holding and screaming in some sort of computer code.

"01001101 01011001 00100000 01000110 01010101 01000011 01001011 01001001 01001110 01000111 00100000 01000101 01011001 01000101 00100001 00100000 01010111 01001000 01011001 00100000 01010100 0100100001000101 00100000 01000110 01010101 01000011 01001011 00100000 01000100 01001001 01000100 00100000 01011001 01001111 01010101 00100000 01000100 01001111 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000001 0101010000111111 00100001"

Zane put a hand to his mouth. "Oh my." They left the tiny nindroid to keep fighting Cryptor and snuck on by, climbing up the outside stairs to get to the roof. Garmadon and Wu got into position, as the elder brother threw the pill up in the air and caught it again. "Ready to thread the needle, brother?" Garmadon asked.

"Let's show them what old timers can do." The younger answered. They proceeded to ascend the spider-webs of gold, jumping on them to gain height. Garmadon threw the pill into the air, as Wu pulled out his staff to hit it. Everyone held their breaths. Was this how it all ended? ...Would the pill even work on the Overlord?

With a loud clank, Wu's staff connected with the pill as it soared into the air, going straight for the Overlord's giant, toothy mouth...

When out of nowhere Pythor jumped onto the web and caught the pill with his own mouth, swallowing it. He fell downwards, landing beside the Ninja. The snake got up shakily, coughing. "HA! You won't get away with that so easily!"

Lily whipped out one of her sickles and wrapped it around his throat. If he tried to move, he'd get sliced. Pythor smiled at her, laughing.

"Where. Is. Clover?" She asked.

"Too bad, I already had the pill!" Pythor squawked. "I'll be dead soon! And YOU'LL NEVER KNOW!"

Lily softened her grip a bit. "You think that was poison?"

"What else could it be?" Pythor hissed.

Lily smiled, removing her sickle. Pythor began to scream as his scales grew smaller, and he shed several bits of skin before finally lying before her-the same size as a common snake. Heck, maybe a bit smaller. He took one look at himself and let out a piercing screech. "What have you done to me?!" He cried out in a high-pitched voice.

"Tell me." Lily pointed her sickle in his direction. The others brought out their weapons and pointed them at him too.

"NEVER!" He said. His voice was nowhere near as cruel and foreboding as it used to be. Lily lowered her eyebrows, and raised her foot over him. She had no intention of actually squashing him, but he didn't know that. The snake began sweating like crazy. "W-WAIT WAIT WAIT! I'll tell you!" Pythor pleaded. "She's-"

Golden tentacles snatched each Ninja with the speed of sound, pulling them towards the Overlord. Lily reached out for Zane, but felt her body almost get snapped in half as she was brought before the Golden Master. "That was it?" He growled, actually somewhat displeased. "That was all you've got?"

" _Diablo_." Kai spat in his face. The Overlord seemed to take that as a compliment.

"Perhaps I will take you apart until all that is left is your head." He mused. "I'll put all of your heads on a necklace, and every day, all day, I will get to hear your screams and cries of pain! FOREVER!" The tendrils grew tighter around them, brushing Lily's skin horribly.

"I will never let that happen!" A white blur ran up the spiderweb, and balanced in front of the Overlord. Several tentacles surrounded him, but didn't touch him. The Overlord was curious.

"ZANE!" Cole screamed. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"What exactly do you plan to do...nindroid?" The Overlord peered down at him. Zane glared, pulling down his mask. He began to jump on the webs, getting high enough he was able to grab a part of Golden Armor.

"What is he doing?!" Kai shook his head. "ZANE!"

The nindroids grunted as the power of the Golden Armor began to break through his own Stone Armor. He held on, and swung himself up to grab the opposite piece. The Overlord was rather confused by this. "Do you wish to die?"

"No." He grunted. "I wish for you to leave. No matter the cost." His Stone Armor began to tremble on his skin, breaking and cracking into minuscule pieces. "Let my friends go!"

"ZANE, LET GO! IT WON'T PROTECT YOU FOREVER!" Cole cried out.

"Even wearing that, you can't withstand my power." said the Overlord. "Your survival chance is low."

"This isn't about numbers. It's about family!" The Golden Armor thrummed, and the Overlord yelled in pain. The spiderweb fell limp, releasing it's captives. They slid down onto the street, the power seemingly...sucked out of the threads.

The ninja began to panic.

"He's not letting go!"

"His heart! It's reaching critical mass!"

"If his heart overloads, he'll blow! He'll never survive!"

"Let go of him, Zane! What is he doing?"

"ZANE!" Lily tried to look into his thoughts, but was kept out by some power. "It's too strong, I can't get through!"

Zane began to shine with a silvery-blue light. The same color as his soul. Everyone felt the gentle beating of Zane's heart. Cole ran forward, his eyes watering. "ZANE! PLEASE! LET GO! LET GO LET GO LET GO! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!"

Wu raised a shaky hand to his beard. "He's protecting us. He's absorbing the power into his own." Cole was sobbing at this point, begging Zane to stop this and _let go_.

"I...am...a Nindroid!" Zane declared "And Ninja never quit. Go, Ninja. GO!" He unleashed a blast of ice that was fun of Golden Power. His entire body was glowing and shaking. A hailstorm began to form over the city.

Cole wailed. Wu grabbed his hand. "We have to get out of here now!" He started pulling him towards an open sewer drain.

"I'M NOT LEAVING HIM!" Cole pleaded. "I'M NOT!" He didn't care to dodge the ice pellets that rained down on them.

"Cole, come on!" Jay tried to pull his friend back into the catacombs, but met with a lot of resistance.

"NO!"

Zane looked back at them, for just a second. In the chaos, through the wind of the storm...they could make out a soft smile.

_Forgive me. I love all of you._

Lily grabbed him by the torso, her own eyes stinging. Using the last of her power, she pulled a screaming Cole to safety. Wu dragged the cover back over them, and there was nothing.

Not a sound.

Not a word.

The ground would shake just a tiny bit.

Frost slowly grew on the bottom of the sewer cover. The air was cold enough they could see their own breaths. Once the sporadic shaking stopped, Cole pushed the cover away and climbed out. "ZANE?!" The entire city was covered in a thick layer of ice. It felt...dead.

Lily tried using her power to find him.

Nothing.

She felt tears pouring down her face, and sunk to the floor. The ice was cold against her, but she didn't care.

" _I'm a robot. A Nindroid to be exact._ "

" _It's so wonderful to have you back!_ "

" _A theory?_ "

"Y _ou have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you._ "

" _What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help do so?_ "

" _Are you alright?_ "

" _It's Zane. I assume you want to talk?_ "

Cole staggered over to the piece of metal. He picked it up, shaking. He knew it was his...he couldn't believe it. He refused to.

Cole held it to himself and cried. "No...no...no..."

"Zane...?" From Kai's eyes, tears began to fall and evaporate.

 _All this time...from the second I saw that goofy smile..._ Cole thought. _It was him. It was always him. I loved Zane, every bit of him. I wanted to be with him._

He fell to the ground in sorrow.

_And now, I'll never get to tell him that._


	45. Red Tulip

**2 Weeks After Zane's Sacrifice**

Lily had another dream where she was in a hailstorm.

She got up from her bed, rubbing her eyes. It always felt so cold and lonely, even after she woke up. Her stomach hurt, screaming at her to eat something. But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything. Lily felt weighed down...and she wasn't sure she would ever feel anything else again.

Downstairs, Garmadon was talking with a man on the phone. Lloyd sat behind him, the fireplace on. "Yes, white lilies. Thank you." Garmadon said. "...There will be no coffin. I already have-huh? No, there was no body. That will be all." He ended the call. "Lloyd?"

The Green Ninja looked up.

"I...have the funeral scheduled next week, on Wednesday. Can you go tell the others? I have a feeling they may react better if it's you."

"Of course, dad." Lloyd got up and hugged him. He trudged upstairs, his eyes still a bit red. His family felt so broken. Cole had left, stating he needed some time alone, and set out for the village of Nom for a retreat. Kai would burn almost everything you gave him on contact, even if he didn't mean it. Jay was often in town finding parts, he was trying to do something to get Zane back again. Lily...he hadn't seen her for a whole week. She'd locked herself away. Lloyd was trying his best to be a good example, to move on, but that proved to be a difficult task. Too many nights had he woken up crying.

Lloyd knocked on Kai's door. He opened it, the wood burning with smoke. "Yeah?" He asked,d his voice hoarse. His eyes were baggy, and from what Lloyd could see, most of his room's items had bene destroyed.

Lloyd chose his words carefully. "...We're having a memorial for Zane next Wednesday."

"Okay." Kai said, nodding. He wanted to give Lloyd a hug, but was afraid he'd burn him. So he just shut the door. Lloyd sighed dejectedly.

He then went to Jay's room. Nobody there, only a note saying "In town for supplies. Love, Jay". Lloyd scrawled back on the note "Zane Memorial, Next Wednesday"

Lloyd looked towards Lily's room. He wondered what was going on in there. He was so worried about her. Lloyd took a deep breath and knocked.

No answer, per usual.

Finally having had enough, Lloyd forced open the door, surprised to find a dresser blocking entry. He crawled over it, landing on the other side. Her room was so dark. And rather dusty. "Lily? It's me, Lloyd."

On the bed, something shifted. Lloyd could barely make out the image of a person. He turned on the lights and pulled off the blanket. "Lily?!"

The Violet Ninja laid there, unresponsive. She looked much skinnier, and she did not smell great. It was clear she hadn't changed her clothes in a week, and her eyes were bloodshot. Lloyd shook her. "Lily? Lily, are you okay?!"

She glanced at him. "Mmm?"

"Lily...what have you been doing in here?" Lloyd kneeled down next to her. Her gaze shifted to the floor. "Lily? Please answer me, I'm worried."

"...Nothing." She mumbled.

Lloyd gritted his teeth. She had truly done nothing. She hadn't eaten, showered, or anything. Lloyd felt so sorry for her, he had to do something. "M-Mom?!"

Misako was there in seconds. "Lloyd, what-oh dear." She pushed the dresser out of the way just enough to slip by, and placed a hand over Lily's cheek. She made no reaction.

"Mom, do you think you...can give her a shower or a bath? She's been in here like this for a week."

"Of course. While I'm at it, why don't you go make something for her? She probably hasn't eaten either."

Lloyd nodded. "I was about to say that." He left quickly, heading to the kitchen. Okay, he could make something. She loved food, that he knew. She'd probably take whatever they had at this point anyway. So, uh...rice! Lloyd quickly turned on the rice cooker and poured the dry grains into it. It was done soon. Perfect. He snatched a fork and hurried back upstairs. Lily was in a new set of clothes, while Misako dried her hair.

"You don't have to." Lily said.

"Yes I do." Misako insisted. "If you can't do it, then you can count on me to do it for you. That's my job." She pulled the tower from Lily's red hair. "Oh, Lloyd! He brought you some food, isn't that nice?"

Lily actually perked up a bit. Misako gathered the towels and set of pajamas to go wash. Lloyd laid the rice before her. " _Itadaki_ -

Lily grabbed the fork with inhuman speed and began stuffing it into her mouth. She didn't even pause to breath. This was...disturbingly primal. Lloyd just watched in silence and made sure she didn't choke herself. After a minute of just eating, she put down the fork and let out a deep breath.

"... _Masu_." Lloyd finished. "You good?"

Lily nodded, trying to catch her breath. She looked up at Lloyd, her face one of sorrow.

"I'm sorry..." She said in a whisper.

"Hey. You don't ever have to be sorry about this." Lloyd said. "This isn't your fault. Sometimes these things happen, that's why you have us." He pushed the empty bowl out of the way, the porcelain snatching at the wooden floor. "We'll pick you up when you're down."

Lily stayed silent for a few seconds, before moving in for a quick hug. Lloyd was a little surprised at this, but returned it anyway. He was so kind, and always there for her...this feeling in her chest. She knew what is was. "Lloyd...I can't go on. All of this, I'm just so tired." She wept. "I can't do this anymore."

"...We all know how you feel. But we can get through this together." Lloyd said, a tear escaping his own eye. "Okay? Together."

The funeral arrived.

Almost all of Ninjago came to attend, seats upon seats surrounding the small platform recently built in the park. Cole arrived too, with several other strangers. He said he wouldn't be staying long, but he couldn't miss this memorial for their friend-and to be honest, he missed his family. The sky grayed out as the funeral began, Cyrus' speech ringing out across the city. White lilies and chrysanthemums donned the small platform, and a beautiful picture of Zane stood forefront. It was so lonely, without him actually there. But, as Cyrus unveiled the statue, gleaming with titanium, there was a small spark of hope in everyone's eyes. Yet it faded as quickly as it came.

"So, what happens after this?" Nya said, her voice hoarse from her recent crying.

"I don't know." Cole mumbled, clutching the fabric of his gi.

"And I don't care." Jay sobbed. "Today's about Zane."

Cyrus looked at the ninja sadly, before motioning to Kai. "And now Kai would like to speak for those who knew him best."

Kai blinked the tears from his eyes and walked up, standing beside the statue. "Everyone wondered what powered Zane.: He began, having rehearsed this speech. "I don't know if we'll ever know, but I'd like to think it was brotherhood. Because he powered me. And he'll still power me as his memory lives on." Kai took a shaky breath, trying to stay calm. "Ninja never quit, and Ninja will never be forgotten. Wherever you are, Zane, you'll always be one of us." He laid a hand on the statue, and for once, the metal did not burn underneath his palm. The others joined him beside the statue, arms over shoulders.

A small white fluff hit Lily's nose. She looked up.

From the clouds rained down a soft blanket of snow. The crowd stood, raising their hands up to catch the snowflakes in awe. It was so peaceful, so full of life. Ironic. As if it came from Zane himself. Then again, perhaps it did. Perhaps he made it to Heaven and was watching over them, knowing they would be able to continue; even if he wasn't there physically, he was in spirit.

As the memorial ended, the people began to disperse. Many didn't leave without offering gifts to he memorial first-a bouquet of lilies, a candle, a bowl of rice, a cup of tea. Lily almost broke down, seeing all of Ninjago mourn their lost brother.

Cole left first, crushing his friends with hugs and leaving with the group of strangers. Kai and Nya were next; the siblings were just so tired. Then Jay, along with a heartbroken Sensei Wu. Now only Lloyd, Garmadon, and Lily stayed, sitting in front of the statue, not sure what to do.

"Lloyd, I'll be right back. I'm going to get some coffee. It's freezing out here." Lloyd nodded at his father, who left for the cafe across the street. Lily just twiddled her thumbs, lost in thought. Lloyd looked at the statue, then at her. He thought about all the things he wanted to do and tell his brother...and now, never could.

Her violet eyes hid her sadness and despair. Lloyd found himself staring at her, admiring her again. Gosh, he couldn't go another second keeping this to himself. What if he lost her too before he could say it? It was now or never. "Um. Can I confess something to you?"

She turned to him, snapping out of her thoughts. She nodded slowly.

"Lily, you're...I...uh..." Lloyd cleared his throat. "Uh, you mean a lot to me. And I just wanted to say: I-I like you. I mean, in the way, um. I...I like-like you!"

She took a moment to process this, her eyebrows scrunched up. Then her eyes widened a bit in what seemed to be wonder. "You what?" She asked, not sure if this was a dream or not.

"I like you, Lily. No...I love you." He laid his fingers on her hand. "Ever since you saved my life, heck, maybe when I first saw you, I always had this feeling in my heart. I know what that is now. I love you."

There was a pause. "Really?" She breathed.

"Of course. You're brave, kind, determined, compassionate, and really really pretty." Lloyd gushed, counting them off on his fingers.

Lily had never had anybody in her life ever say she felt this way about her. She didn't know what to say. "I...what about me is pretty?"

"Everything." Lloyd grinned. "Your smile, the way your hair dips around your shoulders, your billions of freckles...are you okay?!" He saw that Lily was in tears. Lloyd got up and kneel in front of her chair. "Lily? Did I say something wrong?" He asked, worried.

"...Nobody has ever told me that." She whimpered, wiping away her tears. "You really feel that way?"

"Yeah. Who wouldn't?" He smiled warmly at her.

Lily leaned a little bit closer, studying his eyes. There was a bright flash of purple in hers as she peered into his thoughts. "You really do love me." She said, her face breaking into a smile. Lily stood and wrapped him up in another embrace. "I'm so glad. I think I love you too."

His heart was beating a mile a minute. _She felt the same way._ "Then let's promise to keep going. Together." Lloyd said. He allowed himself to press his face into her sweet-smelling hair. Lily nodded silently, still holding onto him. The two stayed like that for a long time, that one missing piece in their hearts now filled. The snow covered them, as if it was trying to give them a hug.

Garmadon watched them from afar, sipping his coffee. He was glad his son finally admitted his true feelings. He looked up at the sky, wondering if Zane was doing alright. He stared at his cup, then at the two lovebirds, who were starting to shiver a bit. He figured he should get them some cups too.

...

Cole returned to the village of Nom, where he had been hiding from all of his problems. He sat down, still crying, as his friend and confider Seliel sat next to him. She offered words of company, and Cole was thankful she had seen him when he first arrived. Otherwise...he honestly wasn't sure he'd be sitting here right now.

"Cole." Seliel said. "I figured...you need to do something, something to get your mind off of everything." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a flyer. "There's some loggers in the forest nearby who could use any and all hands. Maybe you could go and help?" She suggested.

Cole took the flyer, studying it.

Jay threw his toolbox at the wall, watching as the bolts and screwdrivers scattered messily onto the floor. He screamed, burying his face into a pillow. This was too much. He thought he could do it, but he just wasn't strong enough. He couldn't even power the spaceship that brought them home long enough.

He wasn't fit to be a ninja, let alone the protector of Ninjago. In his mourning, he noticed a fallen blueprint sprawled messily on the floor. It was for some crazy crash course he'd thought up of months ago, but never actually tried.

Jay picked it up and gears began to turn in his head.

Kai wasn't sure if he could control his fire any longer. The snow certainly helped, but his hand would get warm and he'd have to burn down too many trees to get his rage out. Kai needed some method of emptying his feelings that didn't requite destroying property.

He went to his computer and looked up some gyms that could help. As he scrolled through the webpage of one, he noticed an ad:

_**CALLING ALL FIGHTERS!  
Unpent rage building up inside you? Release it at the brand-new SLITHER PIT ARENA!** _

_**Located at everyone's favorite bar, Yang Tavern!** _

_**WARNING: NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE YOUNGER THAN 21.** _

Kai smiled to himself. Perfect.

The next morning, Sensei Wu found notes from Jay and Kai, stating they were on a "mindful retreat". The old master just put his head in his hands, and sighed. "Father...I hope I'm doing what is right." He said.


	46. Zinnia (Bicolor)

If Zane wasn't gonna be protecting Ninjago, then you can be darn well sure that Lily would.

An entire winter had passed. She trained tirelessly, honing her skills with Lloyd, Garmadon, Wu, or just by herself. The others were still gone, after all. She ate fast. She ignored her own monthly pains. Even when her clothes were caked with sweat, she trained until her body hurt. She didn't care if she was pushing too much onto herself. She had to be ready, to be better.

She was currently practicing her punches on an innocent sandbag that did not deserve this torture. To each punch, she dedicated who it would protect.

_This one is for Kai._

THWACK!

_This one is for Jay._

THWACK!

_This one is for Cole._

THWACK!

_This one is for Lloyd._

THWACK!

_This one is for Zane._

THWACK!

Lily's punch broke through yet another sandbag, and she continued to thrash and break it into pieces when her head began to spin. She leaned to the side, staggering through the sand that kept pouring out from the bag. She leaned over and heaved.

At that moment, Garmadon entered the dojo, and saw Lily on the floor puking. "Woah, woah, easy!" Garmadon rushed to her side. "Easy, now." He rubbed her back with a calloused hand. "Breathe."

Lily didn't have time to breath. She started to get up. "I have...to train..."

Garmadon put a hand on her shoulder. "I think we've had enough training for today. A sound mind makes for a strong body. Let's go for a walk instead." He led a dejected Lily out of the dojo, making a mental note to clean up the mess later. They walked out to the gardens, the cherry trees blooming just in time for spring. He held a hand out to catch a falling petal. "Sakura blossoms do not last long. You should take great care in keeping them."

"...Mmm-hmm."

 _She's changed. She's...different._ Garmadon took her hand, counting their short walk to the bench. "Have I told you the story of when Lloyd tried to play baseball with me?"

"Yes, Sensei-"

"Wonderful! I'll tell it then. So we were trying to have a father-son day-" Garmadon was interrupted by Lily glaring at him.

"Sensei, I appreciate your stories, but I really should get back to training. Mr. Borg should be expecting me in a few minutes." She said dryly.

The ex-warlord shook his head. "No, I think you need to relax."

"...Excuse me?"

Garmadon smiled. "It's high-time we take a day off! I'll call Borg." He began to fumble in his pockets for that blasted piece of tech they called a phone.

"Sensei Garmadon." Lily sighed. "I know you want me to relax, but I'm fine. Really. I should go join Lloyd in the training sim."

The door to the garden opened. "Lily!" Misako stepped outside. "Thank goodness you're still here. Could you help me prepare lunch? Lloyd should be back soon and I think this will be a nice surprise." Lily opened her mouth to give her usual answer, but Misako's aura of motherly-ness quickly tapped it out. Sporting a disinterested face, she started for the kitchen.

Garmadon gave his wife a kiss. "Thank you, dear."

She smiled and winked at him. Misako skipped ahead to meet Lily, who had reached the kitchen and was looking through the pantry. "Oh, you have an idea already?"

"Pancakes." Lily answered.

"Breakfast for lunch. That's would be wonderful." Misako got out a couple mixing bowls. "I'm thinking...soufflé?"

Lily shrugged. "Sure." She placed the ingredients on the counter, and the two woman got to work. Misako hummed a small tune, before turning to Lily and asking some questions.

"Uh, how's Pythor's interrogation going?"

Lily sighed through her nose, mixing the batter together. "Not well. He's not giving any useful information." She couldn't find Clover anywhere-she had looked for weeks. "I'm planning to see him again soon, and I don't know what I'll do if he stays quiet even then. I don't want to resort to...other measures."

Misako nodded. "Sometimes the easiest ways to do things aren't the right ones."

Soon the smell of pancakes began to waft through the room. Lily couldn't help but smile. With all the grief Zane's passing caused her, she also gained a good amount of happiness as well. Not only in these homestyle activities on occasion, but also...

"I'm home!" A young voice called.

When she was with the guy she most certainly had feelings for-Lloyd Garmadon. He definitely made her day. Since they both confessed their true feelings, their relationship grew a tad more intimate (but not by much). Still, she couldn't wait to see his grin when he would see her for the first time during the day. He bounded into the kitchen, giving her a tiny peck on the cheek. "I missed you during training. What happened?"

"I needed her help." Misako said, motioning to the pancakes. "We thought this would be a nice surprise."

"Really?!" Lloyd gawked. "This is great!" He grabbed a plate and began to eat it while standing. "Tastes good!" Misako smiled and left the two to their own devices. Lloyd took another large bite of the soufflé. "Sho I had an idea." He said to Lily, mouth still full. "Inshted ob wetting for da guys oo come back..." He raised a finger, saying "wait-a-minute", and swallowed before speaking. "We go find them ourselves."

"You sure?" Lily asked, swaying a bit side to side. "They may just need a little more time."

Lloyd chewed his lip. "If I'm gonna be honest...I don't think they'll be coming back without a nudge." He sighed. "All the talks, letters, texts, everything I've done to get into communication with them again; it's always ended in some ambiguous answer. But this time, I'm gonna really push them."

"I thought you said they needed a nudge." Lily snickered.

"You know what I mean!" Lloyd said. "Anyway, I was hoping you could come with me?"

The idea of getting the team back together was certainly appealing. As hard as Lily had been training, she knew deep down...she'd never amount to anything without the team. It _had_ been long enough. It was time they got thrown back into the fray.

Donning her gi, Lily and Lloyd went to Jay first. Apparently, not to Lily's knowledge, he was the host of some ridiculous gameshow about finding somebody else to take his place as a ninja. Lily found the set horrendous, the loud colors almost making her tears run red. The two opted to hide in his dressing room to meet him after the performance. It was a little musty, but Lily had been in worse places.

Jay walked in, his cheerful attitude disappearing as soon as he shut the door. He sat down, staring at makeup pallets scattered across the vanity. Mumbling to himself, Jay picked up an old picture frame that featured the original Ninja and a much younger Lloyd. "Ninja never quit, huh Zane?"

Lloyd chose this as his chance to enter. He dropped down from the ceiling. "The team needs you now more than ever." He said.

Jay turned and screamed before he realized it was just Lloyd, soon joined by Lily. "How did you get in here?" He screeched.

"I'm a Ninja, and you are wearing makeup." He added with a smirk.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey." Jay stood to defend himself. "It's concealer, a time-honored tool of the Ninja. And what do you mean 'team'? There is no team. Not anymore." He looked down.

"So you're just gonna leave me behind?" Lily asked. Jay looked up, a little surprised by her comment. "When I first arrived, you and the others welcomed me with open arms. Why is it now, when we need each other most, you push us away?"

"Well...things can change." Jay said softly. "I'm sorry."

Lily knew Jay wanted to bludgeon himself for saying that.

Lloyd frowned at his answer, motioning to his attire. "You don't belong here, Jay. This isn't you. You're the Master of Lightning, not the Master of Lighting." Jay made no comment, simply turning around to stare at himself in the mirror. "Chen's. 5:00." Lloyd went back to the rafters, climbing out through a small hole to the roof. Lily stayed for just a minute longer, before joining him.

Next stop, the village of Nom. When they arrived, looking for Cole, the townsfolk said he had taken up a local job at the nearby logger business. A young woman that Lily remembered seeing at the funeral with Cole directed them to the location. "Just...get him to at least try, alright?" She asked, curling some of her red and blue-streaked hair behind her ear. Before they left, she gave them some smoke pellets and wished them good luck.

Swinging along the branches of the trees, Lily and Lloyd found Cole wearing nothing but a plaid vest and jeans, using an axe to crack a branch off it's stem. He looked tired, but determined.

"The team needs you now more than ever." Lloyd introduced himself again, using a rope to shimmy down safely to where he was.

"Heh. I thought I was good with a scythe." Cole said, not even turning to look at them. "Turns out, I'm even better with an ax." He finally stopped, wiping the sweat from his brow and looking up. "Guys. I'm tired of fighting. Tired of snakes, tired of killer robots, tired of...losing everything." He motioned to the dying trees and the men cutting them down. "Out here, no one knows who you are. No one expects anything of you."

"But what would Zane expect? You're the Master of Earth, Cole. You don't belong in trees. Your feet should be on the ground. You can't hide who you are."

"I miss you, Cole." Lily said. "I miss you being my big brother. Please. Come back."

Cole's face softened for just a moment, considering this. But he quickly resumed his working expression and tore the branch off in one swing. "Even big brothers have to leave someday. I'm sorry. This is my life now." Cole sighed, and Lily knew that he wanted to do anything but say that to them.

Lloyd puffed some air from his nose. "Chen's. 5:00." Cole actually perked up a little bit, but still tried his best to maintain his disillusion of a wandering soul.

One of the logs began to roll down the pile, and Cole quickly dispatched himself to protect the others by summoning a hill of earth to stop it. Even though the other workers cheered him on for his heroism, Cole looked saddened by his actions. Almost as if... _he_ wanted to be crushed by the log instead of them. Lily knew exactly what he was going through. She lingered for a moment, then left.

Kai was apparently in the shadier part of town. Lily didn't like it. So many creeps, so many crooks. She saw one man eying her and actually salivating. Oh how she wanted to dropkick him in the face, but there were more important things to do. Lloyd entered Yang Tavern, where a fight had just ended. Lily saw somebody dressed in a fiery leotard order a drink at the bar. That couldn't be Kai...right?

His hair said otherwise.

Lily sat down next to him, tapping his shoulder. Kai looked up, and startled, almost flew off his seat. Lily tried her best to suppress a laugh and helped him up. She noticed he had gloves on his hands, which he never wore. "Kai. It's been awhile." Lloyd popped up behind her.

"Oh, its you." He said somberly. He went to take a sip his drink, but Lily grabbed his wrist.

"Is that alcohol?!" She hissed.

Kai narrowed his eyes. "They don't care about age."

"You're 17!" Lloyd knocked over the drink, some of it spilling onto Kai's outfit. "I think you need the team now more than ever." He said angrily.

"Who says the great and powerful Green Ninja needs a team? 'Sides, Lily seems to be working with you just fine." This wasn't Kai. Since when did he ever diss Lily or Lloyd like that?

"I get it, Kai. You've ran out of bad guys to fight out there, you've got to come to a place like this." The Green Ninja tried his best to calm himself down. "But where's the honor in that? Where's the Master of Fire?"

"It's the Red Shogun now." Kai spat. "And where's the Master of Ice huh? He's gone, but I'm still here. Who cares about honor?" He started to get more frantic. "It should've been me. I should've been the one-"

"You always thought you should've been the one." Lloyd interrupted, now yelling. "First it was being the Green Ninja, now this. When are you gonna start thinking of someone other than yourself?" He leaned into Kai's face.

Somebody in the back cheered "Fight!"

Lloyd backed down, and went for the door. "Chen's. 5:00." Lily stared at Kai in disgust, shaking her head, before leaving. As he sat in the tavern, Kai stared at his own reflection through the glass. He knew exactly what he turned into, and the worst part? He didn't want to go back. But her face...seeing his friend's reaction to that? Seeing their idol turn into an underage drinking arena fighter?

_Chen's, 5:00._

Cole hugged Seliel goodbye. This was tough for him. He didn't feel complete, he didn't feel alive. But he had let them down. Lily saw him as a brother, yet look what he had done! He left her when she needed him, and when he needed her. He still loved his team very much, that was true. He had to at least try. With her words of encouragement (and the promise of food), he left.

_Chen's, 5:00._

Jay put the show on hold, finally getting the junction by with the last businessman. He rustled up his hair, washed off his concealer, and wore his normal clothes again. He had to admit, it was nice seeing himself not wearing that crazy colored suit. Jay took a deep breath. He had to go back. Lloyd was right, all he did was push them away. For the first time in months, Jay did something that wasn't stupid and went to meet them.

_Chen's, 5:00._


	47. Apple

"Why is this place so popular again?" Lily asked, staring at the large animatronic sign on the storefront. The caricature of Mister Chen was...unsettling, to say the least, and the constant color changing of the noddles he held hurt her eyes. A loud voice kept booming from the speakers, telling passerby to check out the "Ninjago's #1 Noodle House". All Lloyd could do was shrug and open the door for her.

Lily smiled at him. "You don't have to do that."

"I insist." Lloyd said. _A gentleman, indeed._

Inside, the crazy colored carpet and loud wallpaper only worsened the headache this place was giving her. Lily had only ever ordered takeout from this restaurant, so she'd never actually been inside the place. The greeter gave them a booth fit for six, and the two waited for the others.

Cole came in first. He was smiling for once, staring at all the food being prepared for the new customers arriving. Cole spotted the two, and slid into the booth with them. "Okay, okay, I give. But before we talk, can we at least order something? I'm starving."

"Not until the others arrive." Lloyd said, crossing his arms.

Cole dropped the menu. "No...you didn't!" He got up and pointed at Lloyd from across the table. "I thought it would be just us!"

"Cole, calm down, you're making a scene." Lily reprimanded him. Other people were staring at him and whispering. Cole sat down and pouted the entire time until Jay arrived. He saw Cole was there and knew exactly what Lloyd was up to.

"You little..." Jay couldn't finish his sentence, instead sitting down next to Cole grumpily. "Kai better get here fast then. Ya know, if we're gonna have a group meeting, couldn't we at least do it somewhere that's not a loud fast food restaurant? Kinda ruins the mood."

"Well, we all like Chen's, so I thought..." Lloyd trailed off. Jay just sighed loudly.

Kai walked in. Lloyd waved him over. Upon seeing the two irritated ninja, Kai just crossed his arms and stared at them.

"The runt tricked us all!" Jay said.

"Do you know what kind of restraint I've had to have staring at all of this noodle goodness?" Cole stared longingly at the food on the conveyor belt, salivating. He shook his head and gave Kai a death glare. "You're late."

"Make it quick." Kai sat down next to Jay, not seeming to care. In fact, if Lily's assumptions were correct, he seemed to be suffering from the after effects of alcohol. She worried for him, and in a moment of compassion, reached out to touch his hand. Kai's eyes flickered, but that was the only reaction she got.

"I know without Zane things have been different, but we have to move on." Lloyd started. "The reason I brought you all here is because we need to stop pushing each other away. I get it. You guys needed time, and I gave you that time. But now, we need to get back together. We need to be a team again."

"Maybe without Zane, there is no team." Kai mumbled. Lloyd looked at him, dejected. "I'm getting food and then I'm done."

"What ever happened to being a family?" Lily piped up. "I thought you guys were always supposed to be there for me. When I needed you guys the most, you all just...ran away. That hurt me. _And_ you. In fact, if it weren't for Lloyd...I'm not sure I'd still be here." She took Lloyd's hand into her own and glared at the three of them. "You know this as well as I do. Running away from the problem isn't going to solve it."

Kai and Cole looked up in surprise seeing the two of them acting intimate. Jay seemed to be lagging behind a bit. "Weren't for Lloyd? Whaddya mean?" Jay looked between the two of them, squinting. "Hm...OH...oh. ...Wait, what?!"

"Yes, we're dating." Lloyd said casually. "Is that a problem?" he looked at the other two, eyes still bugging out a bit.

"No, just unexpected." Cole said. "Can we order some food now, please? My stomach actually hurts I'm so hungry." Lloyd nodded gingerly and Cole hastily grasped a menu. "Okie...I'm feeling-"

A gunshot rang out in the room. Instinctively, the ninja ducked under the table as did everyone else. People screamed, until a man yelled "SHUT UP!" He grabbed the cashier and put the gun to his throat. "Give me your money or he goes!" Leaning in to whisper, he told the victim that if he said one word, he was dead. The jingle of purses and the unbuttoning of wallets quickly orchestrated.

Lily was already disgusted with them. They had these creepy facial tattoos of snakes on their faces. Already a bad sign. They wore typical punk styled clothing, and their jackets read "Praise be to Purple Scales". The leader had this strange metal sphere in place of an eye. 

She was royally ticked off. "What do we do?" Kai asked the others.

"He has a cussing gun, and we have no weapons." Jay hissed. "We can't do anything."

The three argued in whispers, and Lily shook her head. A few months ago they would have charged at him with no care. They would already have a plan in their heads, and they would have been able to save that guy and everyone else. How the times have changed. She stood up, ignoring their sudden cries. "Hey, snake boy!"

"Sit back down or you're getting pumped full o' lead!" The leader pointed the gun at her, keeping the victim in a chokehold. "I can just squeeze him to death if we don't get what we want!"

Lily started walking forward.

He fired, and everyone screamed.

"LILY!" The ninja shot up from the table, expecting to see her lying on the floor, stained with blood.

Instead, she was standing right where she was, seemingly ignoring a red spot blooming on her chest. Her teeth were grit together in pain. After a moment, a bullet fell to the ground in front of her, rolling along the carpet. The leader just started chuckling to himself. "The Master of Soul." He lowered the gun and dropped the victim. "So you're the real deal."

"Are you looking to pick a fight with us?" Lily asked, the wound already closed up.

"Eh, just wanted to see if you weren't faking it. Lately a lot of people have. Too bad they couldn't survive us." He twirled his gun around, smiling. His grin was quickly wiped off his face with a sudden blast from Lloyd, knocking the gun from his hand. The Green Ninja was on the table and seething.

"You took innocent lives?!" Lloyd yelled. The leader shrugged. The customers wisely began to huddle at the back wall of the restaurant. "You're getting more than just a fight." He hopped off the table and stood next to Lily.

"I second that." Kai stood up with him, a ball of fire erupting in his hand. Jay and Cole joined too, electricity crackling between Jay's fists. Cole grabbed a pair of chopsticks and waved them at the mooks mockingly.

"Alright, let's see what you got." The leader bent down to pick up his gun, but a superheated fireball melted it into a puddle of lead. The leader staggered back, his hand burned from being so close.

"Now we're even." Kai growled. The leader snapped his fingers, and the mooks charged. The one the right tried going toe to toe with Cole. He grabbed his wrist with the chopsticks, the wood creaking under the pressure. The mook grabbed a plate of sushi and threw it at Cole, who dodged it. He let go of his wrist and grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"Didn't your mama ever tell you it's not nice to touch somebody else's food?" Cole said darkly, delivering a punch that knocked the mook out quickly.

The other mook wasn't as lucky to get a cool fight scene. Jay just sent a few volts of electricity through his body, until he fell to the floor with a lazy smile on his face. The leader was left alone. He stared at them, a bead of sweat running down his face, and left. "Follow him!" Lloyd said, and the ninja charged out the door.

The guy, his silver eye glinting in the moonlight, was heading down a nearby alleyway. The ninja ran right behind. For a fleeting moment, everything was dark, but they'd catch him in the street lamps again soon. They emerged into the space behind Chen's. The leader looked around, at a loss...

Then the streetlamp went out for a moment.

When they turned back on, he was just...gone. No trace. Nothing.

"Where did he go?!" Kai yelled, fire burning the ends of his sleeves.

Lily put a hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Kai, easy." The Master of Fire's hands extinguished. "We'll find him. He couldn't have gone far."

"Guys, wait!" Cole pointed to a small, candlelit shrine a few feet away. "I think he left us a message. Same snake symbol." They walked up to it, curious to see what it said. Cole slipped the message from the knife it was attached to, turning it over. He stiffened, and his blood went cold.

"Cole?" Jay looked over his shoulder. "What-" He gasped, seeing the drawing that accompanied the message. He took the paper from Cole's hands, staring for a few seconds. "Is that supposed to be Zane?!"

"Give me that." Kai snatched it from Jay, staring at the drawing on the paper. "Tell me this is some joke." He growled. Lloyd took the paper, and read the message accompanied with the drawing of their friend.

"'Your friend, the Master of Ice, is alive. Participate in the Elemental Tournament to get him back. Meet at the docks, tomorrow night.'" Lloyd took a deep breath. "He's alive?" His voice cracked a bit. As the words left his mouth, an aura of emotion settled over the group.

"That can't be. I looked. I f-felt nothing." Lily stammered, tears starting to cloud her vision. "I agree with Kai, this is a cruel joke."

"But what if it's not?!" Jay said. "What if, what if Zane really is somehow alive, and taken captive by whatever gang those murderers belonged to?" He sobbed. "We have to get him back! We have to go to that tournament!"

"Alive...?" Cole said quietly.

Kai put his fists together, tears rolling down his face. "I'll burn them. I'll burn them down myself!"

"Kai!" Lloyd said, putting a hand on his arm. "If we do that we become just a bad as them. We're heroes, not killers." Kai stared at him, his fire reflecting in Lloyd's teary eyes, before calming down a bit. His hands still felt hot.

"Alright. No burning." Kai took a deep breath. "But they'll regret messing with us, I can promise you that."

"How is Zane alive?" Lily sniffed, trying to blink away her emotion. "It makes no sense..."

"It's our only lead." Cole said. His cheeks were streaked with tears. "I'm going, and I'm gonna get him back even if it kills me." He wiped his cheek. "Besides, even if it does turn out to be a fluke, then at least we stop a gang of killers."

"Cole..." Lily stepped foreward. "I'm with you."

"Me too." Said Lloyd and Jay at the same time, propping them to look at each other in confusion.

Kai smiled at them. "Yeah. All of us. As a team."

Lily hugged him, crying. "I missed you."

Cole nodded, pulling her in tighter. "Me too, Lils. Me too."

"I'm sorry I pushed you away." Jay said, putting his arms around them. "I was such an idiot."

"We all did stupid things. Like how I didn't try and get you back sooner." Lloyd laughed, joining them.

"Or like how I drank alcohol at that tavern?" Kai said, still standing back.

"Yeah!" Jay laughed, breaking off and pointing at him. Reality took a minute to set in. "Wait, you WHAT?!" The entire group hug broke away so they could stare at him. Kai bit his lip, waiting for the onslaught of disappointment to come onto him. But all Cole did was walk up, put a hand on his shoulder, and sigh.

"You're still our brother. Drunk or not." He patted his shoulder.

Kai just laughed. "It's so good to have you back."

"So we can pay your fine?" Jay asked.

Everyone burst into laughter. This was the first kind moment they had shared in months. It felt good. The tears of excitement and sadness quickly turned into tears of happiness.

"But seriously, we need to take care of that." Lloyd said.

After settling the final papers, the fine was payed and Kai was free to go. The group laughed and hugged, arms around shoulders, sharing good times. They got take-out from Chen's, and went home to the monastery. Garmadon smiled warmly when he saw them all arrive at the house, acting like a family again.

"I assume it worked?" He asked.

"Yeah." Jay grinned. "The band's back together. Ish."

"So what did we miss Green Machine?" Kai asked Lloyd, rubbing his head. "Didja get to second place?" He added with a smirk.

Lloyd elbowed him sharply in the stomach. Kai let out a visible "Oof", as the red-faced Chosen One ruffled his blonde hair back into place. "We're not going there."

"What a warm welcome." Kai wheezed. "So, is that a yes?" This time Lily slapped his upside the head. "Yep. I deserved that."

"We've only been dating for a few months. Nothing has...happened. So knock it off." Lily said firmly, adjusting her gi. Kai smiled jokingly and trotted along behind them. Cole and Jay were happy to sleep in their own rooms again (Jay and been staying at his parent's for the time being), while Kai talked with Nya to get a new mattress. His overworked sister was thankful to have him back, but warned him that his room was difficult to clean up, and she wouldn't be doing it for him again.

Before Lloyd checked in for the night, he wanted to ask Lily a question. "Uh, have you thought about it?"

"About what?"

Lloyd opened his mouth, but shut it just as quickly. "Actually, never mind. I'm tired. Good night!" He shut his door, leaving a rather confused Lily standing in the hall. She went to her room, taking a shower and settling beneath her covers. For the first time in a long time, she slept peacefully.


	48. Cactus

The next day was...weird.

Lily woke up to noise. Happy noise. Hurrying downstairs, she broke out into a grin when she saw her brothers and boyfriend having breakfast together again. Cole waved to her, having saved her a plate. Eggs and bacon. Jay's doing, definitely. She bit into the crunchy bacon, happily listening to their re-accounts of what had happened during their absence. "So I walk into the village. It's nice, got a hot spring and other stuff. Then I fall over a bunch of logs, and this cute girl helps me up." Cole was saying.

"I thought you were gaaaay~" Jay joked in a sing-song voice.

"Bisexual! Bi! Sexual!" The Master of Earth reaffirmed. "It's not that hard to understand. Anyway, she's all like 'oh, are you okay, you seem down' and I say 'yeah, I guess I am', because I was literally down."

"Smooth." Kai chuckled. The conversation continued until all that remained of Jay's breakfast was crumbs of burnt bacon.

The Ninja gathered Lloyd's room to discuss their plan for rescuing Zane. "I say we just sneak in, grab him, and run." Jay suggested. "It's much easier that way. I'm not letting some gang dictate a tournament just to get my friend back."

"But they may be expecting that. We should play along until we find the right chance." Lloyd said.

"Why do they call it an elemental tournament?" Cole wondered aloud. "That guy recognized you as the Master of Soul." He pointed to Lily. "Are they gonna pit us against each other?"

"There's only six of us." Lily gestured to the room's occupants. "I don't see the use of a full-blown tournament there."

"Wait...could that mean...there are others?" Jay stood up, his eyes almost zapping with the electricity bouncing around in his brain. "We aren't the only ones?"

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Lloyd put a finger to his chin and shrugged. "Maybe." The others had the same reaction. Night came swiftly, and they retired to their rooms to prepare for the journey. Just before Lily left, Lloyd grabbed her hand. "Wait!"

She turned around. "Yes?"

"Uh..." Lloyd swallowed thickly, and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "For good luck."

Lily touched her mouth in surprise, blood rushing to her face. "Th-thanks..." She said, a smile at the corner of her lips. Her hand left his, and she hurried to her bedroom to pack. Her gi...her sickles and a blade...leftovers from Chen's, some essentials. She walked outside, and saw Garmadon waving goodbye. "Have fun on your fishing trip!" He said.

"We will!" Lloyd called back. Parked outside the monastery was the taxi meant to take them to the docks-finding their car parked by the shipyards could cause some suspicion. It would be better to not leave a trace.

Lloyd handed him the money, the taxi driver tipping his hat, and they drove. "So, I appreciate the business, but why don'tcha just use your own vehicles you got from the nindroids?" He paused. "They...still work, right?"

"This is a special mission." Kai said. "We want to stay ambitious."

"Ambiguous." Jay corrected him.

"That too."

The driver took a moment to stare at them with the rear-view mirror. "In those outfits?" When he received no reaction, he turned his gaze back onto the road. "N-never mind. We're almost there." Up ahead, the heavy stench of sea salt and fish marked the location of the docks. Lily wondered why here, of all the good-smelling places, why here?

They got out, trying to ignore the smells wafting into their noses. Cole pointed to a large group of color-clad people standing at the edge of the docks. "We have company."

"No, that's not the gang." Kai said, staring. "I think...those are our competition."

"So there really are others?!" Jay whisper-shouted. The wooden dock creaked beneath their feet. The closer they got, the louder their footsteps became, and the group of people slowly stopped conversing to stare at them. They were rather diverse. One man seemed to be of Indian descent, wearing a turban. Another was a large Nordic man wearing Godzilla-sized gloves on his hands. There was also a woman, Lily noted, that had green scarring all over her skin.

"Ah, I told you we shouldn't have worn our gi." Kai muttered. "You think all of them have powers like us? Or different ones?"

"When I asked my dad about it, he got really suspicious. Like there's something he's keeping from me." Lloyd said. The water below began to churn, noting the the arrival of a large triple-deck steamboat. It was colored green and red, with windows and lights hung around it's decks. It stopped in front of the dock's end, splashing water around messily. Two guards, with the same snake tattoos as the thugs from yesterday, lowered a plank to connect the dock to the boat.

A man with way too much eyeshadow and greased hair walked across the plank, somehow not breaking it, and opened his arms to the people waiting. "Welcome. You maya dress me as Clouse. This is your ticket to the Tournament of Elements. Please, step on," He spread out an arm to the plank, "But please give up your weapons."

"What?!" Yelled Jay. "But I brought all my cool gadgets and stuff, I'm not giving any of them away. What am I supposed to do? Leave them to here to rust?"

"If that works for you, then yes." Clouse said, his voice nasally and low pitched. Jay frowned, taking out his nunchucks and dropping them to the floor. Everyone else proceeded to do the same, pulling out vials or throwing knives or even, in one man's case, a guitar. Sailors hurried out to collect them. Lily felt uncomfortable about giving away her sickles, but reluctantly let the men take them anyway.

"Now, form a line. Watch your step." Clouse directed the competitors onto the boat, inspecting them before they got on. "My master will be charmed to see you've accepted his offer." He said to Jay when he approached. "A Master of Spinjitzu shall fare favorably in his Tournament."

"Hey, we're not here to fight." Jay said sharply, red hair tousling in the wind. "We're here to save a friend."

"Don't be so petty, Master Jay." He chuckled, seeing Jay's reaction to the title. "Everyone here has something to fight for."

Jay gave him a dirty look and stepped onto the boat, the others following.

"Lloyd, wait!" A voice cried out. The Green Ninja turned, gasping in surprise. His father stood on the docks, a hand held out for him. "If you get on that boat, you may never return."

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Lloyd asked. Clouse raised his eyebrows at this mention.

"This torunemant is led by a dangerous man who should never be trusted. Whatever he promised you, do not believe him."

"Lord Garmadon. It's been a while." Clouse interrupted. "Wait. It's Sensei now, correct? I can't remember." He added, sarcastically.

"Clouse." Garmadon grunted. "I see you're still running his errands."

"Got busy?" He glanced at Lloyd. Garmadon's nostrils flared at the comment, and he stepped closer to Lloyd, an arm between him and Clouse.

"I have to go, Dad." Lloyd said to him, shaking him away. "This...this is about Zane. It's about family. If we're ever going to be whole again, I have to get on that ship." He pointed. Garmadon considered what Lloyd had said, despite not breaking eye contact with Clouse.

"Then I will go with you." He began to push Lloyd onto the ship and further from Clouse's icy stare. The man fingered the bronze sewn into his robes.

"I'm afraid there is no more room. We've reached maximum capacity."

Garmadon responded by grabbing one of the sailors by the scruff of his shirt and dumping him over the side. This was a side to him the Ninja haven't seen since the Final Battle. "Now we have room." The Sensei said coldly. It was freaking them out, to be honest.

Clouse shrugged, and walked away. Garmadon did not stop glaring at him until he was out of his line of sight. Sighing, he turned to the ninja. "What were you thinking? What does this have to do with Zane?"

Lloyd quietly explained everything to him, walking along the ship's deck. Garmadon expressed concern and disbelief at this, but understood that if these people mentioned Zane, they had a good reason to go to wherever the ship was taking them. "You know that guy." Lloyd asked when he finished. "You said his name's Clouse."

"Yes. We have a history together." Lloyd's father confirmed, his wrinkles becoming more apparent as he tried to remember. "He and I were taught by Master Chen."

"Master Chen?" Cole chuckled. "Funny, he's got a similar name to Mister Chen."

"Probably because they're the same person."

Cole froze. He backed up a little, shaking his head. He slapped himself across the face twice, and then stared straight into Garmadon's soul. "Tell me you're joking."

"I wish I was. Master Chen was once my teacher, and is now the leader of what I'd like to say is a mafia. For his actions against Ninjago, he had been imprisoned on an island far out to sea. It makes sense he'd have spies on the land. Keeping him up to date."

"Woah, woah woah, wait!" Cole waved his hands around. "You're telling me that _Mister_ Chen, the guy who's been filling up my belly with delicious noodle goodness, is actually _Master_ Chen, and is leading a murdering gang of snake-tattooed people that wanna pit all of the people on this ship against each other in what's probably gonna be a bloodbath just so we can maybe get our brother back?!"

"Yes." Garmadon confirmed coldly. "And Clouse is his number two."

"Huh, I thought Master Chen's number two was an eggroll and fried rice." Cole said to himself. "Never mind. Somebody slap me please." Jay lightly tapped his cheek with his palm. Cole gave him a look, told him to actually slap him, and Jay outright hit him across the face.

With a long ride ahead of them, the ninja decided to take the time to see the other masters who would join them. Garmadon explained that there were perhaps thousands of different elements in the world, and each person was descended from it's original master. There was a man with white and black hair meditating, a bodiless voice speaking in his vicinity. Another girl's eye color would change at random times. There was an olive-skinned man with uncut hair forming intricate flora from his own palms.

Lily was entranced by the display of their powers. Globs of acid floating in midair, minerals changing shape like clay, objects ignoring their weight and lifting into the air. Only one person aside from them didn't appear to be flaunting their powers-a young woman wearing a rather baggy hood. She turned for just a moment, smiled at them, and then went back to watching the sea go by.

Kai, on the other hand, was now completely entranced by her. Lily heard him sigh a tiny bit, and decided to help him before he turned into a lovestruck mess. "Well go on." She nudged him forward. "Talk to her."

"What? I...yeah, okay." Kai stood a little straighter. The Nordic man from before appeared suddenly, almost knocking him over during a confidant stride towards the girl. She saw him, and had little to no reaction, just a simple wave. He asked her something, and she didn't answer. He started to pull on her clothing.

"HEY!" Kai ran over, pulling his hands away. The man stared at him, confused. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to have his gloves embedded in his own skin. "Hey, get your fingers off her!"

"It's okay. I can handle myself." The girl said to him.

"This none of his business." The Nordic man spoke, his voice deep and gruff. With broken English he told Kai is side of the story. "Karlof cold. Karlof just want her cloak."

"You look like you got big enough mittens." Kai spat.

"These not mittens." He curled them into a fist, the metal creaking and scraping across itself. "These _crush you_."

"Ha, I'd like to see you try."

"Save it for the Tournament, Kai." Garmadon warned.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Lay another finger on anybody like that and you'll be answering to me."

Karlof leaned closer, his body several feet taller than Kai's. "Karlof answers to no-one." Kai grit his teeth, expecting him to attack. Then the Nordic man leaned back. "But Karlof understand tiny man's worry. Karlof not interested in woman. Karlof married. Only cloak important." He moved his fist closer, opening it. "Metal cold."

"Well, you certainly have a strange way of showing that." Kai said, still irritated by his actions.

He seemed to think for a moment, and realized what Kai was talking about. "No, no! Misunderstand. Karlof trying to get attention. That's all." The two stared at each other, the girl slowly inching away. After a moment, Karlof relaxed a bit. "You have warm aura."

"Please leave us alone." The girl piped up. Karlof shrugged and wandered off in search of another heat source. Kai let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and everyone else sighed in collective relief. The girl turned to him. "Uh, thank you for trying to help. I'm Skylor." She held out her hand. Kai took it, shaking.

"Uh, Kai. Master of Fire."

"I can see that. You burn with passion." Skylor winked, her yellow-amber eyes reflecting the light of the lanterns. "If you catch my drift."

Lily watched the two converse, and hoped that whatever happened, they wouldn't make any more enemies than they already had. They had to find Zane.

It took a whole night to get to the island. Rooms were provided on the ship, but there wasn't enough for everyone. Clouse promised the irritated fighters they would be getting individuals beds for the Tournament.

"So you said we're descended from ancient masters?" Kai mused, staring at dolphins leaping in the water. "If that's true, then so is my sister Nya. But she can't do what I can."

Garmadon shrugged. "Can't she? Power lies in all of you. It only needs to be awoken." He motioned to the ship's occupants. "The fighters here have already managed to unlock their own True Potential. For instance, that pale man." He pointed to a young man wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a red dress shirt. His skin was so fair you could see through it. "A distant relative to the Master of Light. Watch closely and you'll see how he's stayed hidden all these years."

The pale man saw them staring, and quickly disappeared without a trace. "Then there's Griffin Turner. Grandson to the Master of Speed." A blur of red and white whizzed by. A male with auburn hair stopped to catch his breath, looking at his stopwatch. In seconds, he was running laps around the ship again.

"Uh, Master of Speed?" Jay scoffed. "That's not an Element."

"So asks the Master of Lightning." Garmadon replied coyly.

"Oh, snap, he got you there." Cole laughed.

The outline of Chen's island only grew closer as they rode on. People began to wake up. The deck became crowded with at least 20 other people gifted in elemental powers. Lily wondered what her ancestor was like. Perhaps she was even a spitting image of her. Who knows?

Her heart began to beat faster as the little steamboat docked. More of those snake-tattooed men arrived to tie it down and escort the fighters out. Clouse made a pathway and allowed the eager fighters to step off the boat and onto the supposed paradise of an island that was splayed out before them. Lily felt her foot hit the docks of Chen's Island, and knew there was no going back now.


	49. Phalaenopsis

The island was tropical, but not untouched.

A long road dotted with statues of snakes led to a vibrant palace atop the hills. The Elemental Masters were led up the pathway to Chen's palace. Hung on each of the snake statues that they passed was a parchment scroll, made only with certain colors. Each of them appeared to represent an elemental master going through their True Potential. A man covered in flames. A woman adorned with flowers. And so on.

Lily saw one statue of a woman resembling her maternal grandmother Yuri, sitting in a meditative position with excellently painted rays of power shining off her body. That had to be her element's...right? She had difficulty remembering her True Potential, it had happened so fast inside the Temple of Light when she finally let go of what was holding her back.

"Welcome to Chen's Island." Clouse's voice snapped her back into reality. "The Tournament of Elements welcomes it's brave fighters." Several guards opened the gate doors. Lily could hear the chanting of monks and other dancers beyond the walls. The inside palace grounds were...infatuating.

Cole leaned over to Sensei Garmadon. "Care to explain how the face to Ninjago's most popular noodle house is secretly assembling an underground fighting tournament in an island not on any map?"

"Master Chen used to be a friend. Now he's a traitor." Garm explained. "During the Serpentine Wars, Chen turned against his own kind and sided with the treacherous snakes."

"The battle you and Uncle Wu fought together in?" Lloyd asked, a little struck by awe.

"He used deception to divide the Elemental Masters. We barely defeated the Serpentine, and in a deal for his surrender, Chen was to never leave this island." Garmadon sighed, staring at a group of monks doing some form of Tai Chi. "Little did we know, he'd begin to build his criminal empire from here."

"He may have divided our ancestors, but he's not gonna divide us." Lloyd said confidently. Garmadon smiled at his son, proud of the way he thought of things. Another set of doors opened for them, revealing a grande hall with lavish furniture. In the middle was a circle, pillow seats provided.

"So this is the house that noodles built. Ha! Always wanted to go to a red carpet event." Jay said jokingly, earning a couple looks from the others.

"Chen lives like a king. Here, he's totally self-sufficient. The only way on or off this island is with his permission, which you have to earn." Garmadon warned. There was no seat for him, so he simply kneeled behind Lloyd. A gramophone began playing ridiculous marching music, and all the thugs in the room bowed.

"All rise for Master Chen." Clouse said with little emotion. A small statue of a snake in the room began to shake. From above, a throne descended, facing away from everyone else. Nobody could see the occupant, who was most likely Chen.

"Welcome to the Tournament of Elements." A cheery voice called from the throne. "Now everyone can all die!"

The doors slammed shut on their own. The fighters froze, and some started to scream.

"...Diiiiiirect your attention to me!" The chair turned suddenly, revealing an aging man with dyed hair, a serpentine headdress, and robes fashioned for a king. His eyes were this strange yellow color, and his grin seemed manufactured. "Hello everyone! I'm so glad you all made it! I wasn't expecting this many fighters, but worry not! We have accommodated."

"I forgot to mention he has a penchant for theatrics." Garmadon grumbled.

"This symbol before you is for the Anacondrai, fiercest Serpentine warrior to ever roam this land." He pointed to the middle of the circle, a snake. The same symbol tattooed onto everyone's faces. "Its creed: 'Only one can remain'." He pointed to his left, showing a bracket. Lily scanned it for a moment. She wasn't fighting any of the ninja. Good.

"Looks like we're each in our own bracket." Kai sighed in relief. "We won't have to face each other for a while."

"Better find Zane before that happens." Lloyd said quietly.

Chen quickly explained that whoever won would gain riches beyond their wildest dreams, and a lifetime supply of his company's noodles. "Behold," He motioned for one of his servants to come up. She held out a green-colored blade, transparent and glittering. "A Jadeblade! Here, it represents life. Obtain it, move on. Allow your opponent to take it, loser!" He stood up suddenly and pointed to the crowd. "The rules are simple. Every match will be different. No two fights will be the same. Your powers will keep you in the Tournament." He allowed himself to laugh for a moment, before adopting a more serous tone of voice. "Use it or lose it."

Silence settled over the crowd of fighters. Chen quickly broke it by clapping his hands. "KABUKI! Show them to their rooms! My island is your island. Feel free to explore to your heart's content!" A woman dressed in flowery robes and a make-up covered face entered the room. Then another. Then another, and another, and there was enough to rival the fighter count. Jay expressed his distaste in this choice of fashion.

One put her hand out to Lily. She took it-

And didn't want to think about anything she saw in the Kabuki's memories. She fought back her tears of sorrow stemming from the soulbond she accidentally made. It was sad, and she had everything taken away from her violently. Underneath all the white paste was a frown of deep sorrow. She quietly led Lily out the door and to the sleeping quarters. A large holding tower with bedrooms inside, to be more specific.

"Yeah uh." Cole struggled in his Kabuki's grip. "I don't like them." She expressed no response. Kai reached one room, and the others kept going up a few more flights.

"So much for staying together." Lloyd sighed. He looked at Lily sadly when her Kabuki stopped in front of a sliding door; her room.

"Your Soul Suite, Master Lily." She said with a thick accent, opening the doors.

Inside was a beautiful room made of soft things. The walls had curtains of violet silk and lavender vases with lavender in them. A soft bed filled with throw pillows awaited her. It was like entering a dreamland. "Th-thank you." Lily said. The Kabuki showed surprise at this, and left abruptly. Lily closed the doors on her own and inspected the rest of the suite.

There were many additions to the room. A desk complete with flowers for pressing. Soft candles and a connected bathroom, lotus flowers resting in a tiny pond. A small television and a radio. This was too good to be true. Lily didn't trust it. But...she also was human, and she was weak. She jumped on the bed, and the soft mattress almost sucked her into another dimension. She embraced it's fluffiness, relaxing for the first time in a while.

She spotted an...odd painting in the corner. Lily managed to escape the hold of her bed to look at it. Done only with purple hues, it showed a mother holding her child. For some reason, it gave Lily a sense of familiarity, which then led to dread. She turned away and saw a set of robes set out for her.

Lily put them on. They were, again, purple, with an inscription along the fold. The belt tied comfortably, and her symbols were stitched on the front and back like a monogram. She tied her hair up, and stood in the mirror provided, admiring herself. One problem-it had straps. She wasn't sure how comfortable she felt showing everyone her scar.

"Explore to your heart's content, right?" Lily repeated. She grabbed a sheet to tie around her like a shawl, looping it under her straps so it would stay put. She went out to the balcony and looked around. Faintly, she heard voices talking below her. Lily inched over and poked her head put, seeing Kai and Skylor chatting. They seemed like a good pair.

Looking out to the island's expanse, Lily wondered where Zane could be. She had to start somewhere. Perhaps he was holed up, right in this compound! It wouldn't hurt to go look for him.

" _ATTENTION ALL FIGHTERS!_ " A voice screamed from the loudspeakers positioned all over. " _Please report to the outside of the dormitories! Toxikita, Karlof, please make your way to bottom room! Round one will begin momentarily!_ "

"What?" Lily hurried outside and down the stairs, where everyone else had already started gathering. She saw the girl with the green scars still inside, being escorted by guards. Karlof was walking right behind her. They stopped at the bottom, staring at each other uncomfortably.

"What we do?" Karlof asked.

" _FIGHT! Whoever is left standing wins the jadeblade! Don't worry, there aren't too many traps. Round One begins-_ "

"Wait, did he say traps?!" Tox asked, worried.

" _NOW!_ "

Guards surrounded them. Tox and Karlof looked at each other. And the doors shut.

Everyone immediately scrambled to the windows, trying to look inside. It was difficult, with so many guards surrounding them (not to mention the fighters constantly pushing each other to see better). There was a small cloud of smoke, and a sudden glitter of metal.

"What's happening? I can't see!" Jay squealed, hopping up and down. Being the third shortest of the ninja, this often made things tough for him. Kai, the second shortest, had to continuously push him off his back when the Lightning Master attempted a better view.

"Lay off dude!"

"Sorry!"

Only glimpses of the fight were ever seen. An occasional blast of green, the rumbling of walls. At times, the windows cracked on their own from the elemental powers used. Popping sounds would sometimes be heard, or the sharp shing of a metal weapon. This went on for a good 15 minutes, before the loudspeaker screamed " _WE HAVE A WINNER!_ "

The doors burst open, revealing Tox holding the jadeblade and heaving. She was covered in bruises, and bleeding green liquid from the mouth. Behind her, Karlof was on the floor gasping from nigh-asphyxiation.

"Tox!"

The girl with the color-changing eyes ran up to her, her purple hair swinging around in the wind. Tox hugged her, dropping the blade. It clattered on the floor. " _WINNER!_ " Chen said through the loudspeaker. " _Looooser!_ " Karlof had finally managed to stand yp, when the ground opened up beneath him and he fell into oblivion. The hidden trapdoor closed with a small click.

The Kabuki quietly returned to invite them for lunch.

Lily was led by a different Kabuki this time. She couldn't find the one that had run off in surprise before. She was a little worried.

"Um, excuse me? But where is the woman who led me to my suite earlier?" Lily asked the new Kabuki.

"Being punished." She replied quietly.

"P-punished?" Lily was confused. "Why?"

"She left you suddenly, and didn't even close your door." The Kabuki explained. "Master Clouse arranged for her flogging tonight. That is all."

Lily's heart stung. As if that poor girl's life had to get any worse. With the way she was treated and the constant "activities" the girls had to do, Lily decided that she'd not only save Zane, but also the innocent people Chen had trapped here. Even if the others didn't like the idea.

In the meantime, Lily was surrounded by so many strange elemental masters, half of which she didn't even know what they controlled. If they were gonna do this, they had to understand the competition they were dealing with. And maybe, just maybe, get them on their side.


	50. Major Convovulous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo-hoo! We made it to Chapter 50!

The mess hall was an ornate room filled with booths, reminding Lily of Mister Chen's Noodle House. They served items straight off the menu too, pleasing Cole very much. He was currently eating his second plate of Mushu-Wushu. Lily stared into the reflection of her pho soup, deep in thought.

"So-" Jay brought her back to the conversation. "Have you tried using your powers?"

"What?"

"To find Zane, dummy."

Lily wanted to say yes, but she had been so preoccupied with the slew of new information she never got the chance to think about it. She felt rather stupid, and tried using it. For a few minutes, she was silent, searching. She felt...nothing. It wasn't like before, where he had died and she felt no response. It was as if he had never existed.

"I can't find anything." She said. "Maybe...maybe something is blocking it?" She added as an afterthought, trying to find a bright side to this. The others just sighed in defeat.

"Wherever he is, maybe he's holed up in vengestone. That could be blocking his signal, or whatever?" Lloyd suggested. Lily responded with a shrug and a nod.

"I wonder if Karlof's okay?" Kai mused. "That trapdoor led to somewhere...wait, maybe to Zane!"

"How do we test that theory? Lose on purpose?" Cole asked. "I'm not sure we wanna take that risk yet."

"This is Zane we're talking about." Kai reminded him.

"I know." Cole said firmly. "But we have to think about every step. What if that trapdoor leads away form the island, and you can't come back? We're not trying that. Not yet." He finished his bowl with a loud slurp. "I want all of us here for Zane."

Kai figured it was a good point. He didn't see Clouse eying them.

"Argh, it's killing me." Jay said. "What is under the trapdoor? What happens when you lose?"

"Don't think about that." Garmadon said, talking for the first time in the conversation.

"Lunch ends in a few minutes." Lloyd pointed to a clock. "You guys wanna meet up in my room after this?"

"Alright." Cole agreed. "But what about after light's out? Then we're stuck there, alone, until morning. And we can't do anything to try and find Zane." He absentmindedly took a piece of food from Jay's dish, making the Blue Ninja swat his hand and snatch it back. "I highly doubt Chen'll let us roam around looking for him anyway."

"Then it's a good thing we're Ninja. Meet me in my room at midnight."

"Why not m-" Lloyd began, but Kai hushed him.

"My room is definitely cooler." 

Lloyd frowned, irritated by Kai's ego. He looked to his left and saw the pale man from before standing by their table with a tray. "You mind if I join you?" He asked.

"Disappear, pal! This is private." Jay said, waving him away. Paleman responded by disappearing, as per asked, but his tray stayed in the air and unmoving. Jay cocked an eyebrow. "I know you're still here. I can see your lunch tray."

He reappeared and left sadly.

"Wow, Jay, you were really mean." Cole scolded his friend.

"How am I supposed to know if we can trust him?" Jay realized what he just said. "This isn't like me! See what this island is doing to me? It's corrupting me!" The gong sounded, and the crowd of fighters dispersed.

The ninja retreated to Lloyd's room, but were stopped by several Kabuki. "Master Chen has ordered everyone stay in their own bedrooms right now." They said in sync. Cole leaned away from them, very creeped out. Irritated, and confirming that somebody was spying on their conversation earlier, they all went to their rooms and waited for the right moment to find Kai. As the sun slowly set, Lily spent her time compiling a list of the elemental masters they had seen.

_Toxikita - acid??? poison?_

_Karlof - metal, probably_

_that redhead Kai likes - ?_

_Turban dude - telekinesis or something_

_Purple haired girl - shapeshifting?_

_Bearded Hippie - ~~Flowers~~ ~~Flora~~ ~~Wood~~ Nature_

_Griffin Turner - Speed (I agree with Jay it is stupid)_

_"That Pale Man" - Light_

_girl with the creepy red eyes - demons, or something downright terrifying_

_Yin-Yang Man - telepathy of some sort_

_that person on the boat - minerals or something (Maybe related to Cole??)_

She looked at the time and hurried out to the balcony, careful not to make any noise. She saw a round of guards walk past, at just the right angle to avoid seeing her slip by. She saw Kai's hand wave her down, and she jumped on the scaffoldings of the balconies. Ducking to be unseen, Lily rolled into Kai's room like some ultra secret agent and hit a table leg. "GAH!"

Even after all her training, she was still the rookie. Lloyd helped her up. She gave him a soft smile, murmuring thanks. Cole was already there, stuffing chocolate into his mouth. "Sup?" He waved.

Lily looked around. The red color, the fire decals...was, was that painting of Kai? This was perfect for the guy. Jay stumbled inside, Kai closing the doors behind him. "Woah, nice dig!" The Blue Ninja complimented.

"I know!" Cole complained. "His room is so much nicer than mine. Look, chocolate-covered shell peas." He scooped up a whole bunch of the chocolate bits and ate them at once. "I wuv deshe." He grabbed the entire bowl, ignoring Lloyd's hand reaching out for a peice, and hopped onto Kai's bed. "Oh, and look how soft your pillows are. Man, mine are made of rock. Like, actual rock. What a crock, eh?"

"Okay, it was almost impossible to get here." Jay said, glaring at Kai. "This place is swarming with guards. I had to sit at my balcony so long, looking for a good time to jump, my legs fell asleep! Any ideas on how we search the island?"

"We travel by shadow." Kai started the brainstorm. "Cover every square inch of this place until we find him."

"The island's big. We'll need to split up." Jay suggested.

"No, we stick together." Lloyd insisted.

"Maybe split up but only in the same area?" Lily attempted to find a compromise. "I can use my powers to know where the others are."

She heard a soft clack, and Cole spoke up. "Guys, the bed-"

"Cole!" Kai yelled, exasperated. "I get it! You like my bed. Would you stop playing around?" He hissed.

"No, not that, although I do like it." Cole patted the cushions. "I think I know how we can search the island." He sat up. "Everyone, just trust me for a moment, and lay here with me."

"EXCUSE ME?!" Jay screeched. "Your gay is leaking through."

"Bisexual..." Cole muttered under his breath. "Just, do it, okay?" Kai mumbled something under his breath, chuckling, earning a sharp jab from Lloyd.

Lily shrugged and jumped on, laying next to him with her arms behind her head. She noticed the others staring at her. "What? It feels nice."

Lloyd bit his lip. "Eh...fine." He laid down next to Lily. Kai was beside him, and on Cole's right was Jay. They sat there in silence, while Cole kept patting the bed and pillows. "Okay, I feel ridiculous." Lloyd said after several minutes of this. "Is this some sorta joke?

"The pillows are soft..." Jay said, nuzzling into it.

Cole reached up and started tapping at the frame, almost hitting Jay in the face. "Gah...I did something..." He stretched a bit, his head pressing into the pillow. Then the entire bed flipped, all of Lily's internal organs twisting around, and she was falling...onto a hard, stone slab floor.

"Ouch." She muttered, getting up and nursing the bruise she gained. The others were still holding onto the frame of the bed, and dropped down around her. Kai snapped his fingers, brining up a small flame to light the path. They seemed to be inside the walls, the condensed space claustrophobic.

They weren't completely soundproof. There was a lot of exerted grunting, like somebody was trying to train on their own. Everyone turned to look at the wall, which conveniently had two tiny holes in it. Jay wasted no time climbing up. "Secret peep holes!"

"Jay..." Lily muttered.

"I just wanna see what's going on. No worries." He said. The others looked at each other uncomfortably. Jay had always lacked the understanding of privacy, but even this was pushing it a bit too far. He stared through the holes, hoping he wouldn't be seen. "I...oh, it's the redhead you were talking to, Kai!"

"Skylor's there?! I mean, um, oh, she's totally gonna be competition! I gotta know what I'm up against..." Kai smiled sheepishly before climbing up, trying to push Jay to the side to see what his crush was doing. "I at least wanna see what her power is, she wasn't able to tell me!"

"Sure, not like you got the hots for her." Cole rolled his eyes. "Or, anything."

"Guys, come on." Lloyd interjected. "This is a breach of privacy. Let's go."

"Wait wait! She's...oh." Jay stared at Kai, mouth open in surprise. "She's fire."

Kai just stared through the holes, speechless.

"Wait..." Lloyd tapped his chin. "If we're all descendants of elemental masters, then..." His emerald eyes widened with realization. "Oh man."

Kai dropped back to the ground, his face contorted with a grimace. "Oh my gosh...I feel disgusting!" He covered his face with his hands. "Why me?"

Lily put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort the heartbroken boy. "You're not disgusting, Kai. You had no idea you were related to her." He just sighed, turning away and hugging himself. It would certainly take some time to heal this wound.

Cole grabbed the fallen bowl of chocolate-covered shell peas and started eating them, several dropping to the ground. There were at least a hundred in there or so. He offered some to Kai, and the Red Ninja took a bite gingerly.

At the end of the hall was a drop-off. Lloyd climbed down, his feet hitting the floor with a smack. "Like a maze down here." He said. "Good thing you're leaving a trail, Cole."

"I'm what?" Cole looked behind him, and saw the shell peas that had fallen from the bucket. "Oh, yeah. I meant to do that." He shouldered the bowl and started to descend with the others. Walls turned from paper into slab, then to cut rock. It shone like green scales against Kai's fire, making Lily sick to her stomach. It was like they had been swallowed by a serpent.

"Do you hear that?" Jay cocked his head.

"No. Maybe it's just you?" Kai suggested.

Jay pursed his lips together, blue eyes doubtful. He kept walking trying to follow the source, when Lloyd grabbed the back of his gi. "Everyone stop!" He yelled. The Blue Ninja stood in place, one leg raised over a thin wire. Lloyd carefully helped him step back. "Booby traps."

"Even cooler!" Jay said.

Lloyd gave him a look of irritation.

"I mean, because they're...uh, not cool, because...ah, never mind."

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "We'll have to watch our step. Everyone go slow." They carefully stepped over the wire, made from sliced vines it seemed. Lily wondered what would happen if it activated. A boulder would squash them? Maybe it would sound an alarm?

"I can still hear it." Jay whispered. "It's like some sorta...chanting. It's creepy."

"I can hear it too." Cole said, squinting at the dark end of the hallway. "What the heck?" They quietly followed the sound of the voices, growing louder and clearer the closer they got. Kai closed his hand up, stopping the flame's burn, and hid behind a boulder.

"Guards." He whispered. The others crowded behind him, folding their bodies up. Footsteps sounded, and Lily barely saw a glimpse of purple body paint.

"Praise be to the Purple Scales..." They said as they walked by. "May we shed our skin and become one with the great Arcturus..."

 _Arcturus?_ Jay mouthed. That was the name of the comet they had gotten stranded on, and also the name of an ancient Serpentine general. The voices faded into the next room.

Everything clicked.

The snake statues, the tattoos, Chen's headdress, his constant blabbering about the Anacondrai Tribe.

"Its a cult." Lily murmured. "A cussing cult." She had heard about these, but never had she actually seen one in real life. She felt the pace of blood in her veins move faster.

Carefully, they poked their heads inside. There were at least 20 men bowing to some golden statue, all wearing purple body paint and strange clothing. Worse yet was the fate of the person tied up before them, her back completely exposed to the crowd.

It was Lily's Kabuki.


	51. Daisy

The Kabuki sat silently, her hands tied to posts and her head facing towards the ground. With every breath, her back rose, and she was shaking in fear.

"We have to save her." Lily said. "Right now."

"And if we get caught?" Jay turned towards her.

Lily looked at him, her eyes burning with determination. "We either won't, or we'll fight our way out of it."

The others looked at each other, hesitant about this plan, but agreed wholeheartedly. Even Lily had shared doubts. What if they lost Zane during this rescue? Then again, she had a feeling the nindroid would want them to save the helpless girl first.

A couple more cultists came walking down, whistling the same tune as the chanting. The ninja shared a look, and grabbed them as they walked by, knocking them out cold. Lily hated to do this, but she took their garments anyway, leaving the dazed men in their underwear. They hastily covered their gi with the scaled armor, and with quick thinking from Jay, used the last of the shell peas to cover their faces in the same design as the others. Now, they were in.

Lily felt uncomfortable wearing this. It was like she was one of them. But she wasn't, she worshipped one Almighty God, not that idol of a Serpentine. She mouthed what they were saying, but not a sound actually reverberated from her throat. She stayed quiet, even when she saw Clouse coming down and carrying a whip.

"You had potential." He said, stroking the whip. "But I'm afraid you are not fit to serve. Perhaps this will teach you better." He raised the whip to strike her.

"CLOUSE!" A shrill voice yelled. From the end of the hall Clouse had emerged from, Chen was walking up, holding a staff with a glass snake skull fitted onto it. "Don't get antsy. We still have the Master of Metal to deal with." He scolded his advisor. Clouse backed up, curling the whip and frowning.

Chen stood in front of the snake statue, struck his staff to the ground, and everyone bowed. The ninja were a little late on this, but he payed no mind. "Bring out the loser!"

There were sounds of scuffling. Lily dared not to look up, but she recognized his voice. "LET KARLOF GO!" He was yelling. "Karlof wishes he never signed up for this! _Níðingr_!" He spat at Chen.

The man responded with laughter. "Oh Karlof...kneel." There was a thunk of metal, probably Karlof's knees hitting the ground. "Now speak English so I can understand your screams."

There was this soft thrumming sound, and Karlof began to scream. The ninja finally looked up, just a bit, and saw the staff Chen was holding; it was sucking something out of Karlof. His skin was covered in metal for protection against his capture, but the more Chen's staff took, the more flesh reappeared on him.

"YOUR POWER IS MINE!" Chen cried, and Karlof dropped to the ground, unconscious. His metal gloves fell off, no longer apart of him. Guards dragged his useless body away. The cult leader giggled like a child, waltzing down the steps with his staff, until he stood next to the Kabuki. "As always, Clouse! Have the first 'crack' at her." He quipped, a horrifying grin on his face.

"With pleasure." Clouse straightened the whip. He rose it above his head, and swung it. A sharp smacking sound. On the Kabuki's back, a fresh line of blood glittered in the firelight.

That was it.

Lily took off her helmet and threw it at Clouse. The skull hit him upside the head, making him drop the whip. Silence settled over the crowd, and everyone turned around. Lily snatched the helmet from the man in front of her and put it on. He was left with a bare head. Oof, Lily felt horrible.

"Him!" One screamed. "He musta thrown it!" The framed man stood up, confused.

Clouse growled at him. He snapped his fingers, and the cultists all ganged up on him. Chen laughed like a little girl. "Let me join in!" He rushed inside the commotion and his arm changed from pink skin to a silver metallic substance. Chen used it on the poor cultist.

"Don't use your powers." Lloyd hissed. "He'll know it's us!" The ninja hurried out of sight, the chaos hiding their escape, and snug behind the statue. The Kabuki looked up weakly.

"Don't worry, we're here to save you." Cole snapped the chains clean off her hands and pulled her up, the bewildered woman clinging to him tightly. "Let's go dudes!" They stayed in the shadows, weaving around the room until they managed to get back to the hall they came from. Chocolate was melting from their faces as they ran.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Clouse was screaming.

In the midst of running, Cole lost his footing. He and the Kabuki almost fell, but his toe...caught on something.

The tripwire.

"Oh no." Lloyd breathed.

There was a rumbling sound, dust falling from the ceiling. Even though they didn't know what would happen, all the ninja began to run even faster than before. They reached the hole where they had climbed down from, and Cole swung the Kabuki over his shoulder. "Hold on tight and we should..." He trailed off when he saw pink eyes staring up at him from the darkness of the hole's depths. There was something down there, long, purple, and definitely serpentine.

Kai walked up and jumped when he saw the creature. "That has got to be the second biggest snake I've ever seen!" He yelped. "Start climbing, now!"

The snake seemed to be offended by his comment. Only second biggest? It lunged, and the ninja panicked, practically flying up the walls of the tunnel. With each leap, the snake grew closer, it's fangs barely grazing Lily's gi. At one point, it's fang caught Kai's armor, and ripped it off. The Kabuki stayed quiet, biting her sleeve. The others were more unprofessional and screamed, crawling into an open section of the wall when they had the chance.

"There's no exit! It's a dead end!" Jay yelled. The ninja, despite their anguish over their situation, had no choice but to huddle in the back, the snake's jaws looming over the entrance. It started to crawl into the hole, biting and hissing. Kai leaned back just far enough, and his elbow connected with a red switch. They fell, weightless, and landed on Kai's bed in a heap. The snake roared, and the trapdoor shut.

They just laid there, trying to catch their breath. The Kabuki was clutching Cole's leg, shivering. Jay sat up, clearing his throat. "New rule. No more sneaking out."

"Ow..." Kai mumbled. His shoulder was bleeding, cut by the snake's fang when it bit his disguise off. Lily quickly rubbed her hands together and started healing the wound. "It's too bad we couldn't get Karlof too."

The Kabuki sat up, pulling her robe around herself and staring at the ninja. Her eyes watered, and she let out gentle sobs. "You...saved me."

"Are you alright?" Lloyd asked.

Lily finished fixing up Kai and went to the Kabuki, pulling away her long black hair to expose her wound and let her power flow into it. She sighed, content. "Yes, now I am. Thank you."

"I'm sorry to pry, but if you have any information on Chen, please tell us. We need to stop him."

"Stop him?" She asked. "That's impossible. Chen...Chen holds power over all of us. Saving me was beyond belief."

"You don't belong to Chen anymore." Lily reassured her, retying the robe around her waist. "You're free."

"But I've never not belonged to somebody before." She said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be! We'll sneak you out soon." Kai promised. "Just stay in my room, okay?"

"I want to stay with Master Cole." She replied. Kai's mouth opened to argue, but he kept it shut and understood her choice.

"Sure." Cole said, extending a hand. "My bed ain't too soft though."

"I have no bed. I'll be fine." She said quietly. "My name is Subarashī."

With the makeup washed from her face, she was a beautiful young woman who's eyes seemed to hold hope for the future. Cole smiled and led his new friend to his room, but not before everyone agreed to follow Chen's rules until they find Zane.

They all went back to their rooms to prepare for the upcoming rounds. And by prepare, I mean sleep.

...

"Next!"

Garmadon came up, expecting a nice plate of creamy biscotti. The fry cook took one look at him and shook his head. "Nu-uh. Nothing for you."

Garmadon sighed. "There's a valuable lesson here, son. If you turn your back on your first evil Sensei in an effort to go straight..." He frowned at the fry cook, who was still urging him yo move along. "...You may not be served creamy biscuits." He walked away, heading for the usual booth they would sit in. Lily sighed in response to the exchange, which quickly turned into a yawn.

"Well, I know what we are being served. A whole bunch of baloney." Lloyd said, eying the breakfast sandwich he was given. "This isn't a fighting tournament. It's an alibi for..." He lowered his voice. "Stealing our powers. But we still don't know why."

"Isn't it obvious? To destroy New Ninjago City." Kai scoffed. "Dunno why, but that place has a string of bad luck."

Cole shook his head. "I'm not so sure. From what Sensei G's told us about him, I have a feeling it's something far more sinister."

"Whaddya chattering about?" The fry cook asked.

"Nothing!" They all said at the same time. He gave them a suspicious look, but went back to serving biscuits.

"And may I remind us," Jay chimed in, still dressed in his pajamas despite the time, "We still don't know where Zane is, which is why we all need to take care of our first rounds to give us more time. Don't look at me. I've already moved on." He waved away Cole's gaze nonchalantly.

"Your opponent got himself kicked out." Cole said, irritated.

"Eh? Who?" Lily shook herself awake. "I'm compiling a list on the fighters, I need information." She put down her tray and got out her list, tapping it against the counter impatiently.

"Paleman. He was snooping around last night, the guards caught him."

Lily pursed her lips and wrote down the new information on the paper. She grabbed her tray and hurried to the table, sitting next to Lloyd. "So, I have this list." She laid it out on the table. "I started it last night. You guys have any clues?"

Kai stared at it, squinting. "Uh...I'm not sure. I did see this one girl, or guy, couldn't really tell." He sat back in his seat. "They wore this galaxy printed outfit, and-" He looked to his left. "Oh, there they are."

There was a fighter adorned in a galaxy-printed robe, a belt tying it around the waist instead of the usual ribbon. Underneath, they had jeans and pink sandals. Kai was right, it was incredibly difficult to tell their gender. Their blonde hair was long and tied up in a mohawk kind of style, and their eyes seemed to reflect the night sky itself.

Lily wrote down:

_Space Goth - space, darkness, void?_

" _The Tournament of Elements continues. Fun time!_ " Chen's voice blared over the intercom, forcing everyone to cover their ears. " _Would the following Masters please make their way to their assigned arena? Speed, Gravity, Smoke, Nature, Mind, Plasma, Tar, oh, and last and hopefully not least..._ "

"Maybe we all got the day off?" Jay suggested, sliding in next to Lily.

" _FIRE!_ "

Kai dropped his sushi roll mid-bite.

" _Remember, only one can remain._ "

In Cole's room, Subarashī listened to the intercoms. She bit her lip hard enough it bled, and curled up on his stone bed. It certainly felt better than the usual places she had slept. She worried and prayed for her friends, hoping they'd make it out alive.


	52. Goldenrod

Based on the information Lily had received, she updated it:

_Toxikita - acid??? poison?_

_Karlof - Metal_

_Skylor - Fire_

_Gravis - Gravity_

_Purple haired girl - shapeshifting?_

_Bolobo - ~~Flowers~~ ~~Flora~~ ~~Wood~~ Nature_

_Griffin Turner - Speed (I agree with Jay it is stupid)_

_"That Pale Man" - Light_

_girl with the creepy red eyes - demons, or something downright terrifying_

_Neuro - Mind_

_that person on the boat - minerals or something (Maybe related to Cole??)_

_Void - Plasma_

_Mudi - Tar_

_Ash - Smoke_

_sitar dude - Music?_

The fights were nonetheless epic.

While Griffin and Gravis' fight was a little slow at first, it began to pick up pace quickly when Gravis used his power to make a wall of flower petals around Griffin, clouding his vision and trapping him for a moment. Although the Speedster was able to get out, his weakness was that he was too cocky. Gravis proved the tortoise would always win, and during the Speed Master's rant, used his power to just draw the jadeblade from the treetop. But Griffin stopped his rant and caught it in seconds, having bluffed his ignorance.

Bolobo and Neuro certainly had quite the duel, even if the audience couldn't see most of it. Lily was able to catch on to Neuro's brainwaves that he sent out, and that provided her with a visual none of the others could see. The two collided like man versus nature, and although Neuro had received the short end of the stick compared to Bolobo's power, his will was more than enough to incapacitate the Nature Master. This resulted in Neuro's victory, and subsequent migraine.

Rather than getting the jadeblade, Ash seemed intent on _murdering_ Kai. For a long while he gleefully chased the Fire Master on the rickety bridge they fought on, laughing manically and torturing the Red Ninja. Lily and the others watched in horror as Kai suffered a smoking hand sticking through his torso. At one point, Ash remembered he had a battle to win, and used himself to control Kai's body by some sort of sickening smoke possession. 

"KAI!" Lloyd stood up. "Somebody stop this!"

Ash moved Kai to grab the jadeblade, his possessed hand curling around the hold. Kai lifted it up into the air, and Ash moved to take the blade himself; but Kai suddenly unleashed a fury of flame, the fire licking at the audience seats. Ash, still in his smoke form, was whisked away in the fire. As the psycho tried to literally collect himself, Kai held the blade up proudly.

"Next time, get it yourself!" He yelled.

Then there were two other elemental masters-Void and Mudi. Void was the androgynous "space goth", Lily had seen earlier, and was completely deaf. They had the ability to control plasma, and often used it to create small star-like balls they'd hurl at enemies.

Mudi was the Master of Tar, allowing her to control and create puddles of the dangerous substance. She enjoyed making copies of herself through it, and studied fossils when she was younger. Even though it was slow-moving, she could make large quantities in a matter of minutes.

The audience watched with bated breath as Mudi's tar slowly made it's way towards Void. The Deaf fighter conjured up a star, the sheer heat of it turning their skin red, and threw it at the tar. Both it and the black mud dissipated. The two looked at each other, and began a throw-off. Globs of tar turned Void's skin ashen. Swirls of plasma burned Mudi's skin to the point of medical attention. They both collapsed, each overwhelmed by the other's power.

Void was the first to get up. They overheated themself and let the tar pull itself off, trudging to the jadeblade. Mudi raised a shaking hand and enveloped it in a sphere of black goo, preventing anybody but herself from touching it. Void thrust their hand inside and began to slowly push into the center. At the same time, Mudi got up despite her injuries.

"Suspense. Interesting." Chen mused.

The sphere began to slowly pull away towards the Master of Tar. Void tried breaking the globe, but it just kept reforming. They could only keep conjuring up bolts of plasma from the other arm, energy decaying with each burst. The sphere had gotten big enough Void couldn't reach Mudi to fire at her.

The tar ball finally reached Mudi, Void now trying to break it with blasts from the inside, and it slowly opened up for her to grab the jadeblade. But she and Void were thrown back by a sudden explosion of plasmic energy from inside the sphere. Mudi was down, and her tar dropped to the ground, still. Her face was burnt, and she began to fumble around blindly. "I-I can't see!" Void noticed this and ignored the jadeblade, a distraught expression on their face.

Lily wanted to go over there and heal her. She shook the shoulder of a guard. "Please, let me in!"

"Why?" He asked.

"I can heal her injuries! Please, don't leave her like this!" The guard looked at Chen, who shrugged.

"Let Void take the jadeblade first." Clouse stated. "They won the battle, I'd believe. They are still standing."

Void had actually dropped to their knees, shaking.

"TAKE THE JADEBLADE YOU IDIOT!" Chen screamed. "TAKE IT!" Void remained unresponsive. They couldn't hear Chen yelling at them. Clouse sighed, and the jadeblade suddenly began to inch closer towards Void until it bumped their hand. They picked it up for a second-

"WINNER!" Chen cried out. There was a small explosion of confetti. Void looked around, confused. The guard turned to Lily and nodded.

She ran out onto the arena, her hands already glowing with energy. She slid down next to Mudi and laid her palms on her face, the burnt skin peeling away. She blinked, her pupils contracting and her sight returning. "I feel better?" She said aloud.

Lily sighed, relieved. "It's okay, I healed you. It was an accident-"

The floor disappeared beneath Mudi, and she fell screaming. Lily tried to reach into the hole to grab her, but found nothing. It closed with a sharp click, Lily's arm narrowly avoiding getting sawn in half.

[What's happening?] Void asked, their hands creating different signs and symbols. [Where's the tar girl? Is she okay?]

"Shut up." Chen mumbled. "Welp, that was a little boring. I want some entertainment from my Kabukis! Everyone is free to go and do whatever." He and Clouse disappeared into the palace.

The others ran over to Lily, worried. "Was she okay?" Cole asked.

"Yeah. She could see again." Lily nodded to confirm.

[Excuse me? Hey. Hey!] Void waved their hands, stomping a foot to the ground. [What happened?]

"I can't understand her." Jay whispered. "I don't wanna be rude."

"It might be a he, actually." Kai whispered back, his voice still hoarse from his battle with Ash.

"Uh..." Lloyd looked at them, trying to figure out a way to communicate. "I don't know what they're saying. I can't really respond."

Void grabbed Lily's hand, signing. [You were there! What were you doing? Was she alright?] They kept pointing at the spot where Mudi used to be.

For a split second Lily looked into their eyes, and understood how they felt. Worry, confusion, concern. Of course! She pointed to the same spot Void was and then gave them a thumbs up. Void sighed in relief.

Understanding emotions without words. One of the many perks of the element of Soul.

[Thank you.] Void signed. And they swiftly left.

The Ninja returned to the palace, where they found most of the elemental masters crowded around the brackets.

"What's up?" Jay pushed through the crowd, wondering who would be up next.

He rubbed his eyes, and gawked at the new set-up. Sitting atop one another were two small photos of Jay and Cole. It only meant one thing.

"You two are going to fight?" Lily asked, confused. "I...I don't understand."

"No, he can't do this." Cole winced.

"He already did." Lloyd said, looking down.

Jay pounded the brackets with a fist. "Why does it say I have to fight Cole? It didn't say that before. I'm not ready to fight. It was supposed to be my day off." He hung his head in sorrow.

"I tried to warn you, but you never listen. Talk, yes. Listen, not so much." Cole said, with such a flurry of emotions running through his mind he didn't watch his words. Jay looked back at him and scowled.

"Is there a problem, Ninja?" That nasally voice said. Lily saw Clouse walking up to them. Oh, how she wanted to wipe that smug grin off his greasy face.

"You cheated! You changed the brackets." Cole prodded his chest with a finger.

Clouse just shrugged and smiled innocently. "Whoops." Garmadon walked up, saw the commotion, and sighed deeply.

"What do we do?" Lloyd turned to his father. "They can't fight each other. We came here to become whole, not fall further apart."

"You can't undo what's been done." He said calmly. "My only advice is to be at peace with it."

"Peace? One of us has to lose!" Jay shrieked. "Oh, my gosh. It's totally gonna be me. He's got super strength and what do I have? Quick, tell me!" He grabbed Lily by the shoulders and began to shake her. "WHAT DO I HAVE!?"

Lloyd pulled on the Lightning Master's shoulder. "Don't listen to my dad." He gave his father an apologetic look. "We find Zane, so none of us have to battle. Your fight isn't until tonight so we still have time to figure out what Chen's up to and stop this." Lloyd put a fist into the palm of his other hand, showing confidence. Jay and Cole stared at each other, not sure what to do.

"Wait!" Kai said. "I think I know just the person who can help. And I think he already knows." He beckoned the ninja to the outside courtyard, where the Master of Mind was meditating on a rock a few yards away.

Lloyd nodded, agreeing with Kai's plan. He walked up to the rock, the stone worn by years of monks sitting atop it, and tapped his shoulder. "We need your help, Neuro."

He didn't even look at Lloyd. "You think I can get close to Chen to read his mind, so you can find your robotic friend and not have to fight." Neuro said flatly. "And, you still need to know what Chen's up to because he's hiding something." Kai was going to say the same thing, but shut his mouth, impressed by his knowledge.

"That's really impressive, Nerdo."

He turned around with unnatural speed, giving Jay a death glare. "It's Neuro, Master of the Mind." He looked between the blue and black clad ninja for a moment. "And Cole thinks Jay won't last long in a fight."

"You think that?" Jay looked at his friend, hurt.

"You just said it yourself." Cole said, defending himself. "Sorry."

"But you didn't have to believe it." Jay gave him a soft slap in the chest.

"Don't be offended, Cole." Neuro said softly. "Jay here thinks you're the least valuable Ninja."

"You don't say." Cole turned his gaze slowly towards Jay and slugged him on the shoulder.

The Green Ninja stared at the two starting to fight and frowned. "Gee, _thanks_ Neuro." He said sarcastically. "We wanted you to help, not make things worse."

"But why would I help?" Neuro raised a grey eyebrow. "You're competition. The sooner you're out, the better for me."

"If you want what's best for you, just look into my head and you'll see what this tournament is all about." Lloyd offered, tapping his forehead. Neuro closed his eyes, focusing his power. There was a moment of silence. Then his eyes opened, and he had a horrified expression on his face. "It's only a matter of time before Chen steals your power too. So are you in?" Lloyd asked the troubled Mind Master.

Neuro looked at them, his storm-gray eyes flicking between doubt and trust. But he extended his hand towards them, nodding. "I'm with you."

"Oh thank God." Kai said.


	53. Alstromeria

After recruiting Neuro, everyone was quick to return to their rooms, the night air giving them goosebumps. There was only an hour before lights out, so Lloyd offered Lily to spend some time with him in his suite. The Master of Soul graciously accepted this offer.

Lloyd's room was nice. It was green and gold, with those cool wall fountains and dragon columns with lanterns hanging off them. His bed was a simple futon, but made with the finest of fabric. Lily stretched, almost knocking one of the lanterns with an elbow.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Lloyd said jokingly.

"Yeah, the golden dragon statues gave it away." Lily smiled.

Lloyd rolled his eyes playfully. "So..." His tone switched to a more serious one. "When we find Zane, we gotta think up of a plan to escape. I say we recruit the rest of the elemental masters to help." He dug under his bed and pulled out a large drawing board. "I've been mapping out the island in my free time."

It was intricate, with (rather crude) drawings of specific places and the roads that led to them. Marked in green were the passageways they had gone through, clearly drawn form memory. Several sections of it were nonexistent.

"Wow, Lloyd." Lily ran a hand over the wood. "This is amazing."

"Th-thanks." He blushed a little bit. Lloyd kneeled down and pointed to the spot that seemed to be an arena. "I'm thinking, once Neuro gets the information, we let Jay and Cole fight, but it's actually a ploy. They'll end up out of the arena and...wait, how would they do that?" He pursed his lips together in a rather cute way. "Maybe we...no. What if Neuro doesn't get the information? Then we...hmm." He sat down cross-legged, thinking to himself. "There could be secret passageways. We could try that. We've followed his rules long enough." He was silent for a few minutes.

"Lloyd?" Lily asked.

He put his head in his hands. "Argh! I'm at a loss! I don't know what to do." He kicked at the board, wood shavings scraping off it. "I'm the leader, I'm supposed to know these things."

"And what are you the leader of?" Lily asked him, turned his had to look at her. "A team. And a team does things together. You're not supposed to have to do this alone." She smiled warmly at him.

Lloyd puffed some air, and took her hand. "You're right. You're right." He nodded. "We'll find Zane, even if the plan's not perfect." He leaned just a little closer to her freckled face. Her sweet scent, her violet eyes, everything about her was just-

" _LIGHTS OUT!_ " Chen's voice screamed over the intercom. The two cringed at the noise, and Lloyd chuckled lightly.

"It's like he's trying to interrupt us."

...

Lily sat in the crowd, staring at the arena about to be used for her friends. They didn't want to fight, but they had no more time. Neuro couldn't get the information. All other attempts were too time-consuming. The elemental masters around her seemed excited to see the two ninja pummel each other. It was a bit sickening.

She knew this would be difficult. Garmadon said that Chen enjoyed gruesome fights. If they wanted to make this work, they had to fake true hatred. But they didn't hate each other, their problems had mostly been resolved. Lily hoped they'd be able to fake it until they both clocked out.

The gates opened. Lily saw lightning burst out of Jay's hands before Chen ever finished announcing their names. Cole counteracted with rocks. They had planned this, sure, but still. So many risks. What if Jay actually hit Cole? What if Cole accidentally crushed Jay? The height between the ground and her seat wasn't exactly pleasing, time-wise.

" _Kore wa nejirete imasu_." Lloyd murmured under his breath. "Chen's gonna pay."

Lightning and Earth continued to clash, despite the tears brimming in the eyes of the Masters.

Hours later, Jay and Cole were almost unconscious. Chen had greatly enjoyed the display, but now was getting irritated by the lack of energy coming from either of the two Masters.

"Get up! GET UP! Oh my gosh, Clouse do something!" Chen began to smack buttons on his chair, and trapdoors around the arena started opening. Cole noticed this and-out of the compassion of his heart-alerted Jay, and the two hurried to the jadeblade, huddling together. Unfortunately, their act was broken by this.

"What do we do?" Jay asked. "Do we just jump and fall?"

"One of us has to win now." Cole said, looking at Jay. "I...I'm sorry."

Jay shook his head, his hands shaking. "It's alright Cole, I under-" He was interrupted by the jadeblade being thrusted into his hand. "What? Cole?!"

He stepped back from Jay onto the one spot of the arena that wasn't a hole into the abyss. "I FORFEIT!"

The sounds of the doors opening and closing stopped. The crowd went silent. Chen stared at them, confused. "Wait, did he just give him the jadeblade? I thought they hated each other for some reason."

Cole looked up at him. His gaze was like steel. Jay kept trying to give him the blade. "Cole, Cole, no. It's gotta be me, you bisexual disaster!"

Chen blinked, wondering what had happened in the fight that changed their minds so drastically. He shrugged and finished off his popcorn. "Winner!" He shouted out, pointing to Jay. "Loser." He waved away at Cole.

The trapdoors all shut, and the area beneath Cole shuddered as it opened. Jay looked at his friend, worried for his fate. Cole fell, screaming, and it shut with the loudest cracking of wood Lily ever heard.

"No! Come on!" Kai slammed the seat with a fist, scaring a few masters near him. "Why did it have to come to this?"

"All we can count on now is Cole finding a way out from down there." Garmadon said. "We still have hope."

For a fleeting moment, Lily felt something in her chest. It was this chilly feeling, like snowflakes on her hands. She recognized it.

"Zane!" She cried out.

The feeling was gone, and the emptiness from before had returned.

"Zane?" Lloyd looked at her. "Did you feel something?"

"Yes. Just for a second." Lily patted herself down to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "It was him. I know it. He's alive, somewhere."

Kai smiled, a small laugh escaping his lips. "That's good, that's really good. We need that, after...that whole thing." He motioned to the arena.

"When God closes one door, He opens another..." Garmadon mused.

Later that day, Skylor and Jacob (who Lily had previously dubbed the Sitar Dude) were matched for fighting. Skylor continuously hampered her opponent with little quips here and there, but Jacob seemed to be unfazed. He was also blind, it seemed, from the way he used his guitar for echolocation.

"The Master of Sound's gotten stronger since the last time I saw him." Garmadon said, watching the battle with a keen eye. Lily stared at Skylor, trying to see any resemblance between her and Kai. Other than fire, there was nothing.

Speaking of Kai, he had managed to step on the feet of every elemental master he walked by and plopped down next to Jay, sopping wet. "Sorry, all of these temples look the same." He apologized for his delay. "Did I miss anything?"

Jay glanced at the irritated crowd staring at Kai and holding their feet. "Maybe we shouldn't be sitting together. I mean, the more they think we're a team, the bigger targets we put on ourselves."

"Don't say that, we _are_ a team." Lloyd said to him. "Sure we just lost Cole and still can't find Zane, but we're a team. Just smaller." He sat up a little straighter. "All the more reason to stick together."

Kai shrugged, and looked down at the arena. "Wait. Skylor's fighting?"

"What has him so excited?" Garmadon asked.

"He had a crush on her until he found out they might be related." Jay snickered. Kai gave him a look.

"Oh, her element isn't Fire." Garmadon said, waving a hand at Kai. "She's the Master of Amber, power of absorption. She can emulate the power of anyone she's touched." 

Below, Skylor suddenly conjured a sound wave large enough to break the vases and Jacob's glasses. Even the onlookers seemed affected by the wave. Kai, watching this, started to perk up a bit. "You're telling me we're not related?" The biggest grin appeared on his face.

"Oh, boy. Here we go again." Jay mumbled.

"Like you're one to talk." Lloyd rolled his eyes. "You were head-over-heels for Nya, remember?"

"Hey, I was...well...I..." Jay sat back in his seat. "Good point." 

There was a glint of green in Lily's peripheral vision, and Skylor had the jadeblade held up triumphantly. "Yes! Go Skylor!" Kai pumped a fist in the air. She looked towards him and smiled. Jacob fell through a trapdoor, yelling all the way down.

"I hope the Tournament has entertained you as much as it has me." Chen smiled at the crowd of fighters, before leaving. He always looked like he was planning something horrid, but his expression seemed to insinuate he had an even worse plan up his robed sleeves.

The others returned to Lloyd's room to figure out a new plan. Neuro joined them, albeit awkwardly. Lloyd laid out his board and tapped several locations with a pale finger. "So Neuro, you said you managed to see inside Clouse's head, right?"

He nodded. "The powers he's collecting, they are for a spell. A spell for what, I don't know. But it's in his spellbook on page 149. I wish I could've done more." He hung his head, sorrowful.

"It's alright, this is more than enough. Thank you." Kai said, making Neuro perk up a little. "Is there anything else in the book? Maybe a drawing or something?"

"The usual portraits of Anacondrai." He shrugged. "I'm not sure it leads to much destination."

"I've never even heard of Anacondrai. And I was there during the Serpentine outbreak." Lily said. "What are they, exactly?"

"Well, Pythor's one of 'em." Jay said, frowning at the memory. "All I know is that the rest of them are dead. Probably because of him."

"Pythor?" The little rat was a feared Anacondrai? "I wonder if Chen knows about him. Maybe this can lead to clues about Clover."

"Who?" Neuro asked.

"My, uh, accidentally-adopted snake daughter." Lily explained hastily. "Pythor took her and I've been searching for months."

" _Master of Soul, please report to the arena!_ " Chen said over the com. The others' heads whipped up, and Lily stood. Well, she was gonna have to fight somebody soon.

"And who else?" Kai asked aloud. The speaker made no response. "It's a surprise then?"

"Seems that way."

Lily walked to the temple arena, marked clearly by lights and guards surrounding it. She felt nervous, scared. She was worried about the poor sap being forced to fight her. She didn't want to hurt them. They weren't enemies!

The others separated from her as the guards led her down to a small room adjacent to the actual fighting grounds. Her robes were refitted and she was allowed to request a small meal before the fight. A small bowl of rice would do. Just as she put the spoon down, the gate opened, and Lily stepped out onto the bamboo flooring.

_You can do this. You can win. And if not, then find Cole and Zane._

"Lily, Master of Soul," Chen began, grinning. "Versus...a newcomer!"

Everyone audibly gasped, staring between Lily and Chen. She was confused. A newcomer? Did they capture another elemental master?

The gate on the other side opened. There was a piercing glare from a set of eyes. She heard...hissing. An armored foot emerged from the gate.

"Our very own Venomari!"

A four-eyed Serpentine came into the light of the arena. Her mouth was open and dripping with venom, a tongue flicking in and out. Her legs were covered in thick armor. Her clawed hands gripped her three-pronged weapons tightly. Her scales were scarred, and the color of...

The ninja stood up, staring over into the fighting grounds. Jay put a hand to his mouth. "Oh no."

"Didn't they say if a Serpentine child is taken too early, they grow up mentally traumatized?" Lloyd didn't know when his heart starting beating this fast or when it would slow. 

"That can't be her, she's too old!" Kai argued.

"Serpentine grow incredibly fast." Garmadon said. "It's entirely possible that is truly-"

"C-Clover?" Lily sobbed.

Lily always had difficult time with finding Serpentine souls, being an entirely different species and all, but for the first time-she felt Clover's heart beat the same as everyone else's. It _was_ her, standing and looking incredibly furious. She stared at Lily with an intense, piercing gaze.

"Not anymore." Clover finally said.

"Clover, it's me." What had Pythor done to her? How did Chen get her?! A million thoughts ran through her mind. "It's mommy. Remember? I was there when you hatched! I took care of you! I loved you like you were my own! It's me, Lily!"

The Venomari gripped her sais and actually growled. "You were gone. You never returned to me! You have no right to call yourself my mother!"

Before Chen could even say "fight", Clover lunged forward.


	54. Clover

Lily coughed up blood when her daughter's sai buried itself in her belly. She weakly reached for her. "Clover, listen to me-"

"I've listened enough!" She pulled it out and grabbed Lily's wrist, throwing her across the arena. "Now it's my turn to talk!"

Lily looked at her through teary eyes, willing to listen.

"Pythor took me, and healed me of my injuries." She said, kicking Lily while she was still down. "While you were so busy up in space with your friends, I endured the Overlord's power! I endured being sold to Chen by that dealer! When you came home, you didn't come find me. I had to survive on my own while you moseyed around, doing nothing but chatting with Pythor and kissing that Green Savior over there!"

Lily struggled to get up. Clover instead pulled her up by the cloth around her neck, and swiped her face with a sharpened hand. "You were too late. Maybe once you loved me, but I've changed. I've seen the cruelty of this world! I've seen what Chen plans to do. And I had to fend for myself!"

"You're not thinking straight." Lily pleaded. "There were reasons-"

"Talk talk talk." Clover hissed. "Keep your excuses to yourself!" She thrust her sai into Lily's left lung, and she gasped for air. "If I win against you, it's my ticket out of here!" Clover cried. "I don't wanna be here anymore! Even if I have to KILL YOU!"

"C...l..." Lily mumbled. Her wounds were already healing. "Please..."

Clover screamed an expletive and sprayed her venom in Lily's eyes. Everything was covered in a green haze. There were ropes quietly descending from the ceiling. Myriads of people looking just like her father started to crawl out from the shadows. Her father had her in his grip, holding an empty bottle.

"This is too easy." He said in Clover's voice.

Lily couldn't fight. She couldn't lay a hand on her daughter. She just had to endure.

Clover threw her across the arena once more and bounded over, her armored tail whipping in the air. She clawed at her mother, telling her of what she had to go through. Torture, experimentation, with nobody to lean on. She had no parents to take care of her. She was completely alone. Lily felt it, every time her scales made contact with her. She found herself in tears; not just from being reunited with her now-murderous child.

"FIGHT ME!" Clover screamed. "I didn't endure all of that torture for this!"

"I can't..." Lily said. "I'm sorry."

Clover bared her fangs. She dug a sai into Lily's skin, and began to twist. Her flesh was being ripped apart. Clover continued to stab and tear her apart, completely abandoning any principals of humanity inside her.

In Lily's eyes, she her father smacking a broken bottle on her, cutting open her skin. She screamed.

Jay held a hand to his mouth, fighting with all his might the will to throw up. This was a bloodbath. "STOP THIS!" Lloyd screamed. "SHE'S GONNA KILL HER!"

"She's the Master of Soul, isn't she?" Chen said, smiling. "She'll survive."

"SHE DOESN'T NEED TO BE-"

Clover was thrown across the room by an unknown force.

Lily sat up, her fingers smoking and curled into a fist, her skin reconstructing over deep wounds once more. She got up shakily, facing her baby girl. “Clover...no biting mommy." She said, trying to ignore the ropes curling themselves into different shapes. "I won't fight you, but I can resist you! I'll defend myself from you!"

Clover licked her lips, blood still pouring from her fangs. "Now that's more like it." She went on all fours, leaping towards Lily, and she caught her, groaning form the impact. Clover screamed and hissed, flailing in her grip, and Lily put her on the ground, trying to run. Clover grabbed her ankle before she got far, and pulled her back. She raised her fists up and slammed them on her back. There was a sharp crack, and Lily's legs went limp.

"I'M GONNA WIN!" Clover said. "RIGHT NOW!"

Lily pushed herself up with her arms and head butted Clover hard enough she flew back several feet. Her spine linked itself back together, and she spat out a tooth.

"I'm very disappointed in you Clover!" She yelled. "Stop this fighting. Come with me. We can fight Chen and leave this island together!"

"HOW CAN I TRUST YOU?!" Clover screeched.

"Okay, how can I prove it?"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT AN UNTRUSTWORTHY PERSON WOULD SAY!" Clover slithered behind her and jumped on her back, grabbing her skull with a hand and closing in on it. Lily groaned, stars dancing in her eyes.

"I'll lose this round..."

"...What?" Clover asked, squeezing just a bit softer.

"Because...I...love you..." She breathed, keeping her voice down. "Listen closely. Chen won't keep his promise. You have to run, far away. Go to the ninja. There are secret passageways, take them. Hide, until I can find you again."

"No way! I-I can't lose you again mommy!" Clover squeaked, a small part of her old self leaking out.

"I know you're mad and I wish I could go back in time and change this. I know you don't want to do this, but your Serpentine instincts won't let you think rationally." She did know, she felt her daughter's thoughts. "I forgive you. I know what it's like, to be alone."

"Shut up and die!"

"I love you, Clover. And I never went a night without thinking about you, without praying you were alright. I went to Pythor every day because that's all I could do. I searched and searched and searched. I even spent a week in the Sea of Sand, just to find _you_."

Clover's eyes softened, just a little bit.

"I am so sorry. Please, just know that this was out of my control. I wanted you to come home so badly. It's all I ask." Lily smiled, looking up at her daughter. Clover's face loomed over her, torn between anger and joy. "Now do it. Win, and don't trust Chen."

For a second, Clover remembered. She looked past her natural serpentine reaction and saw the situation as it was. She sobbed, and raised her sai. Screaming, she thrust it just above Lily's sternum. It cracked and fractured, blood gushing out.

Jay ended up puking. Lloyd screamed, his voice breaking. Kai started to climb into the arena.

Clover jumped off her mother's body, dropping the sai. It was true. Her instincts told her to fight it, that she didn't need to be dependent on anyone anymore, but all Clover wanted was her mother.

"Th-think of me..." Lily said horsely.

"You're never in the dark." Clover finished. "MOM, WAIT, I DON'T WANT TO WIN-"

A trapdoor opened beneath Lily, and she fell. Her limp body went forward, disappearing into the dark.

Kai was on the ground, running towards Clover, and had her in a neck hold. With his other hand, he conjured up a flame. "YOU'LL PAY!" He screamed. "YOU'LL PAY!"

Clover tried to fight him, squirming. "Red! Red, no, please!"

"KAI!" Lloyd was there, pulling his flaming hand away from Clover's face. "Kai, stop! It's not-she doesn't need to be dealt with!"

"YES SHE DOES!" Kai screamed. Cultist guards surrounded them.

"Kai." Lloyd was deathly serious. "You're going to get us in trouble. Put Clover down now."

"But she tried to kill-"

"NOW!" Garmadon yelled, his voice booming. Kai reluctantly obeyed, letting the snake fall to the floor, wheezing.

"That was fun!" Chen said. "Everyone is free to go back to their rooms." The fighters refused to disperse, eyes trained on the bloodstained floor.

Clover put her head in her hands. "All this time...I...I hated her out of...petty reasoning." She sobbed. "I deserve to-"

"No!" Garmadon kneeled beside her. "You may have done a lot of wrong, but the important thing is that you ended up making the right choice." He looked down through hooded eyes. "I should know."

"I'm sorry! How can I repay for my mistakes?"

"Start by forgiving yourself." Garmadon said gently.

Clover looked at him, tears welling in her four eyes. She began to cry, clutching his robes, screaming for her mother.

Lloyd looked at the bloodstained floor, and prayed. Prayed for her sake. And for his.

...

Lily opened her eyes. She saw two green eyes obscuring most of her sight. She yelped, sitting up and hitting her head against a lamp.

"Woah! It's okay! It's me!" Cole said, putting a hand on her leg. "Just me. Nobody else."

"Except Karlof."

"Except Karlof." Cole affirmed.

The Nordic man huffed, but looked at Lily with a gentle expression. Lily rubbed the back of her head. "What happened? Where am I?"

"Uh...you kinda just dropped down in here. You were comatose again."

"Glowing shape on chest." Karlof made a circle with his large, calloused fingers. "No response."

 _Great._ "How long was I out this time?" Lily asked, yawning.

"About a day. Not too long." Cole said. "Your aorta was almost severed in two." He rubbed her shoulder lovingly. "We had to get a doctor to fix you so you'd heal faster."

"O-oh..." Lily mumbled. No wonder she felt so sore. There were definitely stitches on her. At least she hadn't gone into a year-long sleep; her constant training with her element must have paid off. She looked at Cole and blinked, then leapt forward and wrapped him up in a hug. "You're okay! I'm so happy!"

"Me too! And guess what?" He smiled, a blush building up on his cheeks. "I didn't want to overwhelm you, but uh-Zane, you can come in now!"

"Zane?!" Lily gasped.

Somebody with glowing neon eyes stepped inside. Lily froze, and began to cry. He had metallic skin, looking like it was forged by angels. His eyes gleaming with excitement and vigor, and his heartbeat...it was the same heartbeat she always knew. He walked up to her, and sat on the bed.

"Hello again, Lily." He said. "It's been far too long." He took her hand, his thin, armored fingers cold against her skin. But Lily didn't mind. She just broke down in tears and reached out to hold him close, grateful her prayers were answered.

"I missed you...I missed you...I missed you..." She sobbed. Zane smiled warmly and pressed his cheek up against her forehead. She laughed at the gesture, he was still so compassionate after all this time. "You're alive." she said, breaking the embrace and looking into his blue eyes.

"Um...I think I am, yes." He said, cocking his head to the side. Lily broke out into laughter, despite her chest hurting. His cool touch on her own hands was a feeling she had craved for a long time.


	55. A Single Daffodil

Lily sat on the ground, forced onto her knees. Chen smiled, and waved the staff in front of her like some child. He activated it, and Lily had to scream in pain as he stole her element. Having her powers taken away was like her own soul being ripped from her body. Lily felt so empty. She was hungering for even the smallest touch of life.

When Chen was finished, she fell to the ground, heaving. She felt wrong, like she wasn't even Amaryllis Gabel anymore. Without her power, who was she? Forced into a dirty worker's uniform, Lily was sent into the factory all alone. Only without her element did Lily realize she had grown used to the sound of souls humming around her. Karlof came by, helping her up.

"Okay?" He asked.

"No, I feel so bad." She said. "Like I wanna throw up, but there's nothing there."

"You'll get used to." He tried to reassure her. "Now come, Cole and Metal Man wait for you."

Lily was led to a corner of the factory, right beside the noodle making machine. Cole and Zane emerged from cans of flour, the cultists having no idea they were even with Lily earlier. She smiled, running to them for a hug. She felt so starved for touch without her power.

"I missed you too." Cole said, nuzzling a little bit. "Now, onto business."

"She looks brand-new." Tox whispered to the other ex-fighters. "Like she's never touched somebody before."

"That's the Master of Soul for ya, I guess." Bolobo shrugged.

Zane brought up schematics for what looked like a pipe system through a hologram. Lily watched in wonder. She never remembered him being able to do that before.

"Now, if we all tried to tackle the labyrinth, some of us would be sure to get lost, so that's not an option. But Zane here, he analyzed the sewer network."

"Gross." The purple-haired master muttered.

"Trust me Chamille, I'd rather blast my way out of here, but we don't have powers." Cole sighed. "We'll navigate these with Zane's help. Uh, how will they hold up?"

"By the slimmest of margins." Zane said. "We will have to be cautious and take care. They are incredibly old."

The other elemental masters looked at each other unformrtably, not sure what to make it that. Cole just grinned at them. "He means it'll work."

"It'll work!" They said in usion. There was a large clanging of doors, the footsteps. Somebody was coming. Everyone turned, ready to defend themselves if necessary. Cole and Zane started backing up towards the barrels.

"Don't worry, boys. The Brown Ninja's here." A familiar face ran up to them, his potbelly jiggling. 

"Dareth?!" Lily stared at him, confused. "How did you get here?"

"Long story princess, I'll explain my tale later. But before I rescue you, can anyone show me how to make a puffy potsticker?" He stared at Zane. "You've changed."

"When metal friend say slimmest of margins," Karlof poked his midriff, making Dareth squeal. "How slim?"

Zane took one look at him and shook his head. Cole sighed. "It won't work. Back to the drawing board."

Everyone groaned. Lily sighed, and went to help brainstorm with her long lost friends. A hand tapped her shoulder, though, and Lily took a moment to address the person it belonged to. "Yes?"

"Thank you!" Mudi grabbed her and hugged Lily tight enough she was sure her back would break again. "You saved my life. I can't thank you enough."

"You're welcome." Lily said. "It was my pleasure. I'm just glad you're okay."

Mudi smiled and backed up into the crowd. Lily smiled softly at her, and walked up to Zane. "What did I miss?"

Zane laughed quietly. "A lot. I was brought here by a mysterious man...I can't remember his name. PIXAL's body was disassembled-but don't worry! I saved her hard-drive. She's with me." He paused, listening to a voice that wasn't there. "She says it's good to see you."

"H-hey, Pix." Lily waved at Zane's head. This was gonna be strange.

"Let's see...Cole and I tried to break out, but, uh, that didn't work, so that's why we're hiding out here. Then you fell down...we watched over you...and, well." He paused for a moment, unsure of what to say, then cleared his throat. "That's pretty much the gist of it."

"I'm just thankful you're alive." Lily said. "It's been hard without you."

"I know. I'm sorry. But," He spread out his arms, doing jazz hands. "I'm here now!"

"Yes you are, tin can." Cole said, smiling warmly. "Alright, new plan, new plan, new plan..." He tapped a pencil to his chin. "What if we sabotage the noodles?"

"I doubt that would work in our favor, Cole." Zane said, sitting next to him and staring down at the paper. "It's a good idea for revenge, though."

"Oh, oh, I got it!" Everyone else looked up. Cole stood on a still conveyor belt and clapped his hands together. "We roll each of ourselves up in a giant egg roll and get shipped out!" 

The workers were quiet, contemplating this. "That's stupid." Tox yelled out. Chamille elbowed her.

"It could work, but...how do we fake the order?" One worker asked.

"I...hang on." Cole grabbed the paper and began to scribble on it. After a minute, he scrunched his face in frustration and balled up the paper. "Okay, maybe that's not the best plan. But we'll come up with something!"

Karlof looked around the factory, trying to find some inspiration. "Karlof used to be aeronautical engineer back in Metalonia." The Nordic man piped up. "Worked on machinery, Roto Jets. Just one could take out entire army."

"Oh, great idea." Cole said sarcastically. "But two things: we don't have a Roto Jet, and what good is a jet if we're underground!?" The conveyer belt started moving sideways, carrying an irritated Cole to the end. He fell on the hard floor, and just laid there, absolutely done with everything.

Dareth stepped over him, grabbing pieces from some of the machines. "Sorry, that was me. Ya see, if there isn't a machine that makes puffy potstickers, then by golly I'm gonna make one." He muttered to himself. "Oh, hey Lily. Haven't seen you in a while."

"That's it! Dareth, you've solved it." Zane said, snapping his fingers with a metallic clank.

"Zane. How are puffy potstickers gonna help us?" Cole slid a hand over his face in annoyance.

"We'll use machine parts to build the Roto Jet." He began pacing, so many ideas running through his electronic mind. "Karlof, do you still remember the schematics of it?"

"Of course." He pointed to one of the noodle makers. "In fact, Roto Jets looked lot like Chen noodle machines. That's where Karlof got idea."

"Then it's set. Karlof and I will create a blueprint. Everyone else, find parts."

"But we're underground!" Cole yelled, sitting up.

...

Clover was curled up on Lloyd's bed. She remembered the conversation she had with the ninja and that random Kabuki a few days ago.

_The Green Ninja tried comforting her, but she kept flinching away from his touch._

_"Pythor stole me right before the rocket launched.” She began. “My midsection was crushed, and I had trouble controlling my legs and tail. I was given special prosthetics to help cope." She motioned to her armor. "Being without my mother for so long, it changed me in ways I didn't like. Every instinct told me to forget about her, to be independent. I didn't want that, but I did it anyway. Then the Overlord was killed, and I was left alone in the deepest parts of Borg's factory. But White found me."_

_"Zane?!" Jay leaned closer. "He did?"_

_"He looked different, really shiny and silver. His friend with the green eyes was there too. Then some net wrapped around us, and this man deactivated White and Green Eyes, while I just watched everything. We were put on a boat and sent here. He was paid a large amount of cash._

_"I don't know where they took White and his friend. I was left in the care of Magic Man. Clouse, I think his name is? He allowed his serpent to raise me. But she was flawed. She trained me for survival. She didn't care about compassion. Clouse also used me for experiments, as his personal guinea pig." She lifted up her arm, revealing several surgical scars. "I grew up resenting everyone, especially my own mother. My mind told me if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be in this mess._

_"Then you guys arrived. I recognized her, mommy. Chen said if I would fight against her and win, I'd be free to leave. I wanted that so badly. So I continued to train, and you know the rest." Clover put her head in her hands and sobbed. "I wish it had turned out different."_

_"We can't change the past, but we can prepare for the future." Garmadon said. "Now, let's find a way to save your mother, and Zane and Cole too."_

_Clover sniffed. “Chen plans to take over Ninjago, turning everyone below him into slaves and carving the land to his own desire. He plans to use ‘the power of the Anacondrai’. Whatever that means, I don’t know...I’m sorry.”_

Clover wrapped her tail around herself. Subarashī offered her tea, but Clover declined. She felt so disgusted with herself.

Subarashī wanted to help the ninja fight against Chen. The moment she saw that helicopter take off earlier into the jungle, she knew he was going to slaughter them all one by one. They'd need help if they wanted to take him down for good. Yet, she was just a lowly Kabuki, she didn't even know what the Tournament was going to be used for when it began! But she did know that she loathed him. There was enough will to go up against him there.

And Clover? She could teach her to fight.

...

While the schematics were being finished, Lily worked. She swirled up dumplings, one batch after the other, tying them with a doughy knot. She wanted to have a single bite of this good food, but the guard was watching her like a hawk. She sighed and continued the roll them up.

"BREAK!" The lead guard shouted.

Everyone sighed and ripped their hands to their sides, the machinery stopping for a few minutes. Lily cracked her wrist a bit, rolling it around. Maybe she could sneak a bite during the break. But her attention slowly waned from dumplings to the sounds of scuffling, and a sudden yelp from at least 10 people or so. Lily looked around, curious, and saw-

"JAY!" She rushed over and wrapped the red-head into a hug. "You're alright! You're alright!"

Jay laughed, hugging her back. "I could say the same thing! You looked dead!"

"Quiet down!" A guard snapped at them.

"So," Jay started his 10 billion questions. "Is Cole alright? Are the other masters alright? Are you alright? Is Zane okay? Have you even found Zane yet? Are you-"

"Shush." Lily put a finger to his mouth, squishing his face a little. "Follow me. We have a...tiny, resistance built up here." She led him to the back of the factory, where Zane and Karlof were working in secret. "Zane? Jay-"

Jay froze, seeing his friend. Zane turned, his titanium skin, glinting in the light. "Jay? You look healthy." He smiled.

"Zane..." Tears trickled down his cheeks. "You're okay!" He barreled into Zane, the two Ninja crashing onto the ground. "I missed you! And you look so amazing! Is Cole alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine." Cole answered, joining the group.

"Wait, where's Kai?" Lily asked Jay. He looked down and cleared his throat.

"There was an issue with Skylor. Uh, they had a spat. He's with her right now, up above the labyrinth, and certainly not by his own choice. And...well...she's Chen's daughter."

"Excuse me?" Lily asked. That was news to her. She never thought Skylor would ever be related to Chen in any way, ever.

"But look on the bright side! Kai might break us out of here. And Lloyd avoided capture by Chen! So you see, we were in this jungle, and I found this mech-oh, right, Nya's here too! And..."


	56. Yellow Gerbera

"Uh, Mister Zugu, almost done. Soon, noodle machine will be firing on all cylinders." Karlof was saying, attempting to push the cultist away from their little project. Lily, who had been holding Jay up so he could tighten screws, dropped him and dragged him behind a box. The others covered it up with a cloth.

"No, it will make noodles now." The Zugu growled. "Master Chen wants noodles for the big ceremony."

Griffin Turner turned around. "What ceremony?"

"Chen defeated the Green Ninja. Now no one in Ninjago can stop us!"

Lily stiffened. "He defeated Lloyd?"

"Uh, there's few minor kinks." Karlof laughed nervously, tugging the sheet down.

Zugu stared at him, fed up, and delivered a knee to his groin. Karlof's eyes bulged, and he sank to the ground in pain. The others looked upon him in pity. He grabbed Karloff by the scruff of his neck and tossed him into a noodle bin, at the same time tearing away the sheet. He turned to look at it. "...Huh? That's not a noodle machine!"

"Uh, that's the kink." Karloff got up, standing proudly despite the noodles hanging off his face. "Now!"

Cole jumped down from one of the high-rises, bringing down a few guards with him. He sat comfortably in the cockpit, and closed the top over himself.

"I'd get out of the way if I were you." Zane advised Zugu.

Cole pressed a button and began fire, Zugu narrowly avoiding being blasted into pieces. All around, Cole decimated obstacles in his way, attempting to make a nice spot to fly out of when the jet was ready. Cultists ran screaming, and freed workers cheered. In the chaos, Jay jumped out of the firing range. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, tiger!"

Cole stopped shooting, worried for his friend. "Sorry Jay! When will this thing fly?"

"It fly when it flies!" Karlof said, rolling his eyes and grabbing some tools.

Lily ran over to him. "Karlof, are you alright? He, uh..." She cleared her throat. "You were hit by that guy."

"Please! Karlof faked it. Karlof Master of Metal!" He flexed just a tiny bit. "Even without power, Karlof still has-"

"Okay, okay, noted!" Lily talked over him.

"-Of steel." He finished. Karlof then climbed onto the jet to make more adjustments.

"Turn me!" Cole yelled. The fighters all came together and grabbed onto the railing behind the jet. They began to turn and push, the jet riding along on the wheeled carrier beneath it. Cultists ran, diving behind boxes and dumplings, hoping to escape with their limbs intact. "This is why you don't build a jet underground..." Cole muttered to himself as they neared the doors. Despite the bullets hitting it, the gates wouldn't budge.

"Push the red button!" Karlof instructed. Cole did just that, and several missiles fired, jolting both him and the other masters. The gates were blown to pieces, and the Roto Jet was carted off into the halls of Chen's labyrinth.

"Why can't I just blow up the halls? Or make my own?" Cole complained.

"The ceiling might cave in on us, or the others!" Neuro said. "We'll have to navigate these on our own."

"Where does this one lead?" Jay mused. "Cole, let's go right! My gut says we go right!"

"Let's hope we fit..." Cole prayed.

The edges of the wings scraped along the stone walls, but other than that they managed. Zane tried his best to navigate the area, even though he didn't have the correct schematics for it.

"Go right...right again...right..."

"You keep saying right!"

"Well, it's called that for a reason!"

Neuro sighed, next to Lily. "We could be going in circles for all he knows."

The group reached a large domed room, with several hallways too small to fit any jet inside. Cole slapped his hands on the console, exasperated. "That's it! Everyone take cover, I've had enough!" He readied the cannon at the largest wall.

"Cole, wait!" Karlof warned him, but Cole fired it anyway. Stone and mosaics broke apart, a cold of dust pouring into the room. As soon as it cleared, everyone marched the jet into the room. Lily felt something crunch under her foot, and saw a broken skull. She shivered.

"Cole?"

Lily, Zane, Cole, and Jay's heads snapped up. "Nya?" Cole asked the voice.

It was her. She and Garmadon were tied up in chains, slipping off two poles that were previously rooted into the ground. She smiled, her blue eyes shining. "Guys, you're here! You made it!"

There was a hissing sound, and a large purple snake emerged silently from the shadows behind her. Nya turned and screamed. Garmadon stood in front of her protectively. The others angled the Roto Jet. "EAT LEAD, DIRTBAG!" Cole yelled, and was about to fire on it...

When the snake hit the ground cold, her eyes glazed over. On top of her stood Clover and Subarashī, wielding a pair of fans. Lily saw them and broke into a smile. "Clover! Clover, you're okay!" She let go of the rails and ran to her daughter. Clover jumped off the snake's corpse and happily embraced her mother.

"Mommy I'm sorry, I'll never do it again..."

"It's okay, I understand! I understand! You're safe now..."

The other elemental masters stared at the two, sharing confused looks. Jay laughed nervously. "It's, uh, a long story."

"ZANE!" Nya ran to the nindroid, making him yelp in surprise. "You're back!" Tears welled in her eyes.

"What? What's on my back?" He asked, trying to look at it without breaking his titanium neck.

"Subarashī!" Cole greeted his Kabuki friend. "You're okay!"

"I am, thanks to Clover. She led me here, and we slayed the Anacondrai Serpent together in an attempt to help fight against Chen." She said. "Why do you have a jet when we're underground?"

Cole rolled his eyes and nodded, turning to Karlof. "You still working?"

"Yes, it fly soon. Why?"

Everyone said at the same time, "The power of positive thinking!"

Clover was startled, jumping and hissing at the noise. Lily put her hands on her shoulders. "Easy, easy..."

She blinked all four of her eyes, shaking her head. "Sorry. I don't like loud noises."

"It's fine. Now, while Karlof's working...why don't you tell me what happened?" Lily sat her down. "I want to know."

Clover quietly explained the things she had to endure. Being sold, torture, etc. Lily kept apologizing for not being there, but Clover stopped her. "I know why you couldn't be there. You don't have to be sorry." She said.

Lily smiled. "You were so brave, and I couldn't be more proud." Lily put her hands on Clover's face, smushing her a bit. "But look how big you got, and only a few months! Lots of teeth, and pretty scales. And your cute little stubs became beautiful hands!"

"Mom, stop it." Clover pleaded. "No touching."

The engines suddenly fired, making Clover scream and crawl behind a mound of rock, hissing and spitting venom. Karlof waved at them. "Sorry for delay! Engines ready!"

"Right about now, Chen should be preparing the ceremony for his Anacondrai Spell. I'll explain." Garmadon said. "I just don't know where that would be."

"Subarashī, do you think you can lead us to Chen? If that's alright with you?" He asked.

"Anacondrai Ceremony?" She put a bruised finger to her dainty lips and smiled. "I know exactly where he'd be, for moments like these."

"Then let us go!" Zane took Cole's hand, the Earth Master blushing a little, and everyone got back to the Roto Jet.

"Mom, I don't wanna go on that thing." Clover said, still shaking and spitting some venom.

"Don't worry, you won't be alone." Lily held out her hand. "I'm not leaving you again."


	57. Rudbeckia

They burst through the stone wall, dust scattering across this unfortunate to be that close. Cole began firing the rockets, the size of the room allowing for him to fly. Everyone else poured out of the hole he made, letting the cultists know exactly how they felt about everything.

Lily was worried. Lloyd and Kai were the last ones left to find, and in this chaos she couldn't find them. Luckily, it was more like they found her.

Lloyd fled across the room, crashing into his partner and sending both of them tumbling down. Lily brushed strands of red hair from her eyes and looked up to see Lloyd's grin. "You're okay!" He squealed. His face was covered in bruises and his gi was stained red.

"Yeah, but what about you?" Lily got up, preparing to heal him before remembering she had no powers. "What did they do to you? Where's Kai?"

Lloyd's expression didn't speak well. "He was using Chen's staff to help break us out...and it's corrupted him. We have to find a way through to him!"

"Darn it, Kai." Lily muttered under her breath. He really was a bit hotheaded. She got up to see if she could spot her red-clad brother while Lloyd reunited tearfully with Zane.

Something shiny went flying across the room, hitting the ground loud enough it hurt Lily's ears. She didn't need to have her powers to know it was the staff.

"Stay back, mom! I'll get it!" Clover brandished her sais and leapt into action, slithering past enemies with little exertion. Lloyd punched a cultist unconscious, and turned to Lily.

"I guess you're on better terms now?" He asked playfully.

"It's hard to believe she was only the size of my arm." Lily said, smiling at her daughter's progress. Suddenly, the crowd began to disperse and form a wide circle around three fighters-Kai, Chen, and Clover. The latter had her jaws around the heart of the staff, trying to break it open, while Kai and Chen fought for control.

"If you let go, I'll give you everything you've ever wanted! You'd be the greatest in all of Ninjago! You'd have everything-all the woman, gold, and land you'd like!"

"Never, not with you in charge! I want your power. No amount of gifts would ever be enough!" Kai screeched. His eyes had a red sheen over them, his pupils undiluted.

Clover bit down hard, the glass slowly cracking under her grip. Chen saw her progress. "You slimy snake!" Chen yelled, trying to kick her away with little success. "I raise you, give you a home, and this is how you repay me?!" Clover's third eye twitched, and she hopped onto the staff, her legs and tail curled around it as she grasped Chen's face with her claws. The edge of her tail was whipping at Kai's face, forcing him to loosen his grip.

"This place was never my home. And you didn't give me anything."

She spat venom into his eyes, and Chen screamed bloody murder. She leapt down, curling her hands over Kai's, and tried to pry them from the staff's handle. "LET GO! I have to destroy it!"

"Never!" Kai screamed.

"You've always wanted more power, to be the hero? Isn't that right? I can see with the staff." She explained. "So do something about your ego and let go! That's what a hero would do!"

Kai opened his mouth to retort, but his eyes slowly returned to their normal hazel color. A million thoughts seemed to run through his head, and his expression became calm. Kai let go, and relinquished the staff to her. Clover opened her jaw wide enough it would surely break, and bit a large chunk of it off. Power streamed from it, covering her in a rainbow mist and each strand slowly finding their way back to their master.

Lily reached for her daughter, but felt her body get hit by a lavender bolt and power swelled into her. She could feel her veins pulsating, her muscles contracting, in fact every function inside her body she was acutely aware of. No longer was her mind so cold and dark. She felt the souls around her glittering with life. Lily let out a sigh, smiling in content. She missed this feeling.

Her old work clothes rotted away and were replaced with something new. All the powers combined allowed for a little element of Creation, and Lily found herself wearing brand-new armor that looked similar to Lloyd's. She laughed, spinning around before spotting Clover.

Clover's armor had fallen off in heaps of sparking metal at the resulting power exchange. She struggled on the ground. "Clover!" Lily yelled, rushing in to check her daughter. "Clover, your...legs..."

In the exact spot where one of the nindroids had crushed her, Clover's growth was stumped. She had undeveloped feet, oddly shaped knees, and lots of surgical scars. Her tail was nothing more than a long strip of muscle and bone, with only a few scales growing over it. Clover wrapped it around herself, staring at Lily with fear in her eyes. "Mom..."

Lily hugged her, squeezing tight. She didn't care how her daughter looked-she cared that she was alive and well. Clover shakily hugged her back, breathing softly. "Stay here." The Master of Soul got up and turned, her eyes glowing. Her heart sparked with energy, showing through her gi like it always did. She began to spin, shouting "NINJA GO!"

The cultists began to run. All the elemental masters unleashed their power, only a few escaping without any wounds. Lily was surrounded by her team, together again, and she felt overbearing happiness radiating off of them. Master Chen scrambled away, like a rat in the shadows. Skylor let a large turret of fire scan the hallway, before giving up the search. She turned to Kai, smiling.

Kai ran to her for a hug. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" He was saying, then stumbled across the floor as a pale sillouthette of her dissipated behind him. "...Skylor?"

"That wasn't my element." Shade said, stepping into the light. "More like an illusion."

Garmadon looked at a broken ice block, and wet footsteps leading away. "He got away." The old man growled. "And it seems he managed to snag Skylor as well."

"We have to go after her!" Kai said, going in the direction of the steps. Garmadon caught him by the back of his gi.

"No! Clouse is formidable. For all we know these steps could be false. We need to regroup, and most importantly...rest ourselves." He glanced at the panting elemental masters. "We will find her." Garmadon added, putting a hand on Kai's shoulder. The Fire Master was seething.

"It's true. Clouse isn't somebody you just follow. It's all part of his plan." Clover added, readjusting her bionic armor with Subarashī's help. "I second Elder Gray, we all need to rest after today." The former Kabuki nodded furiously, her black hair swinging around.

Everyone exchanged glances, and nodded. Lloyd turned to Cole. "So how do we get out of here?"

Cole smirked, looked at the Roto jet. "Leave it to me."


	58. Honeysuckle

The elemental masters emerged at the docks, just as the sun was rising. The Roto jet parked next to the path leading to Chen's palace. It was so strange to think that just a little while ago, this was a prison. But now they were-

"Free!" Cole yelled. "Home free!" He smiled 

[Does this mean we get our sleeping quarters back?] Void asked.

"I agree with Void. I'd like my old bed back." Neuro said.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll get to scouting that area for traps, but first we gotta celebrate! Zane?" He extended an elbow to the White Ninja.

Zane smiled cheekily. "My pleasure." He opened up an arm panel and flicked a switch, and suddenly his body snapped into a dancing position. He opened his mouth, and an old song with radio crackles began to go through like a speaker. "Hello my baby, hello my honey-"

"That's not what I...okay, fine, I love it." Cole chuckled.

Lily watched the crowd disperse, save for the ninja. They crowded around Zane, laughing hard enough tears came to their eyes. Not even Lily was sure it was from the laughter or happy they could see Zane again. "What is he doing?" She asked.

"It's...it's..." Jay fought back laughter. "Long story."

Zane contained to dance around, doing the Charleston and other old dances with the singing. The others were laughing like it was an old joke, but Lily was still confused. The song ended, Zane did a mock bow, and everyone regained the ability to breathe.

"I'm hungry after all that noodle action." Jay said. "Let's go raid Chen's kitchen!"

"I like the sound of that." Kai agreed.

"No need." Subarashī walked past them politely. "I'll find my sisters and prepare a meal."

"You don't have to do that." Clover said, running after her.

"Please. It's the least I can do. All of you showed me kindness, freedom, and the ability to fight for myself. Let me repay you in kind." She bowed deeply, and began to walk up the path. Clover sighed.

"I'll go help her find the other Kabuki." Clover waved at Lily, and ran off. Lily wasn't happy about letting her go off on her own, but she pushed down that feeling and smiled at the two on their way. Lily then looked at the others' injuries and went to work, despite their pleas that they would be fine.

The meal was absolutely fantastic. All different kinds of foods, prepared in all the ways imaginable. The elemental masters had a grand breakfast, and afterwards many went to their rooms to sleep the food off. Lily was thankful for this, although she was saddened when Subarashī broke the news that not all of the Kabuki had been found.

Soon enough, it was just the ninja, and Bolobo.

"Cole." Zane nudged him. "It's now or never."

"Oh! Uh, okay, um." Cole cleared his throat. "Uh, guys, I have something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Lloyd asked, setting down his glass. The others looked at him, chopsticks clanging on their plates, a little bit worried.

"I figured now, would be, uh, the best time since we kinda kicked Chen's butt. I'm getting off track! Ha! You see, uh...we...we're...uh..." Cole swallowed. "I mean, Zane and I are-uh..."

"Oh for the love of-" Zane grabbed Cole's hand in his own and lifted it up. "Cole is my boyfriend and I am his."

At this moment Jay had decided to take a sip of his amazake, and promptly spit it out. He wiped his mouth, stuttering. "What?!" It was loud enough to make Bolobo look over from his spot for a moment.

"You're dating?" Kai asked, his eyebrows up and jaw agape.

"I'm surprised I didn't see this coming." Lily murmured. "But it was so...obvious."

"I just, I...I see there's more to him than a machine. I don't know how, but there's a human soul behind those neon blue eyes. That's who I fell in love with." Cole explained. "I've been in love with him from the very start."

"Oh, that's sweet!" Jay mewed. Then he paused, raising in eyebrow, and stood up. "THAT'S HIM?! THE GUY YOU'VE HAD EYES FOR ALL THIS TIME WAS ZANE?!"

(Bolobo decided he better go to his room. This was getting a bit too personal for him.)

"Yes. And I gladly return the feelings." Zane said, smiling innocently.

"Congratulations, guys." Lloyd said. "I never thought you two would end up, well, together, but I can see how it works."

Lily nodded. "I'm happy for you guys. I know it takes a lot of courage to tell somebody your feelings."

"Actually," Cole said, "I told him when I was breaking him out and I thought we were going to die."

The table went silent for a moment. Kai coughed. "That's one way to say it." He went back to eating. Everyone spent a little more time finishing off the meal and chattering with the two boyfriends before leaving to rest. Lily went into her room, only to hear Lloyd open the door before it closed.

"Hey." He said.

"Hi, Lloyd." Lily greeted him. "Yes, you can come in, I don't mind."

He closed the door and looked around, admiring Lily's room. "I'm not sure I've been here before." He mused. "It looks really nice."

"I'm just happy to sleep in a real bed again." She admitted, sitting on it. Amidst the covers she almost sank, but managed to stay afloat somehow. "You need to talk about anything?" Lily asked, a little concerned.

"Well, I've just had some thoughts lately." Lloyd said. "And now, especially with Zane and Cole coming out, I have to say this." He sighed and sat next to her, yelping and flailing in the sheets when the bed started to pull him under. Lily held out a hand and he took it, keeping steady. "I feel like our relationship hasn't really gone too far. And that's okay, I'd rather start out slow. But now I'm ready to...maybe...go a little deeper."

"What kind of deeper relationship are you thinking about?" Lily asked. The thought intrigued her too.

Lloyd's answer was somehow managing to get up and give her a kiss on the lips.

He had only done this once before, and even then it had been so quick it wasn't really a kiss. But this...this was new. Lily understood what he meant, and by all means, was willing to do it. She leaned into the kiss, her palefreckled hand curling around his vanilla-colored fingers.

It was such a strange experience, actually kissing somebody like this. Energy was pumping in her veins, yet at the same time Lily wanted to melt. His lips felt chapped, much like hers. She could smell his hair, and it smelled like bamboo. All of her senses were on high alert, and the world felt so much brighter. It hurt when he broke away.

"How's that?" He asked, his emerald eyes dazzling in the morning sun.

Lily leapt forward, hugging him. She didn't want to let go. She let the bed drown them, and savored the feeling of just existing with her love. No robots, no statues, no cultists. Just them. Only them. She wanted to prolong the moment for as long as she could. So they laid together, arms wrapped around each other, until the noon sunlight poured through her window and hit their eyes.

"I love you." Lily said. "I'd be glad to go further and deeper with this relationship. Or, more specifically, with _you_."

Lloyd broke into the biggest and sweetest smile. "You have no idea how happy I am!" Lloyd exclaimed, pulling her up from the depths of her bed and kissing her again. Well, Lily did have an idea, since she could feel his emotions, but stayed quiet for his sake. His little grin was just too cute.

They walked out of her room, hands interlocked and swaying.


	59. Purple Carnation

"So how do we get off the island?" Lily asked, watching the sinking ferry. Bolobo's vines curled around it, bending the metal and seeping into the wood. The fresh sea water gave off a distinct smell.

"I suppose we'll use the Roto jet." Cole shrugged.

"And my dragon." Lloyd added nonchalantly.

Lily watched the ferry disappear beneath the waves, blinked, and whipped around to face Lloyd. "Dragon?! But you lost it with your golden power, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah, I kind figured out how to do it again." Lloyd smiled sheepishly. "I'm gonna be honest, with everything that happened yesterday, I forgot all about it." Lily sighed, shaking her head. She couldn't exactly blame him.

"I'm proud of you five." Garmadon said, walking up. "You've done what the original Elemental masters never could; stick together. But you must not rest on your laurels, for your guard is down when you sleep."

The team smiled at him, although a bit confused by his words, and Kai sighed. "No sign of Skylor?"

"We will find her, I can promise you that." Lloyd said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "She wasn't able to pick her family, but she was able to pick her friends. And since you're her friend, that means so are we."

"He's right. With no way off the island, it'll only be a matter of time before we smoke out Chen." Cole cracked his knuckles, scanning the horizon. His green eyes gave a feeling of determination, and loss.

It felt strange, being in control. No rules, no guards, no Chen. Although, maybe the last part wasn't all that great considering the fact he had Skylor. Lily tried to remember if she ever touched her bare hand, so she could track her. Although even if she did, she wasn't getting a signal. It was a lot like how she couldn't find Zane, who said he had been trapped in vengestone. The elemental-sealing rocks made his soul invisible to her.

 _That meant Chen must have her locked up in it too,_ Lily realized. _What kind of father would ever do that to his daughter?_

Honestly, what kind of woman would ever want to father a child for Chen? Somebody as power-hungry as him? Or somebody like Subarashī, forced into his clan against her own will? The very thought disgusted her. The smell of the bay didn't really help that either.

In the courtyard, Lily sat and watched as Clover began to train the remaining Kabuki in self-defense. She stood in front of them as they did the same exercise with war fans, shouting motivational phrases. "You are not things!" She said, her fangs glistening in the sun. "You don't need to be servants anymore! You will fight back!" Clover saw her mother, and raised her bo staff. "BREAK!"

The poor girls fell to the ground, sweating and panting. Clover dropped her tough demeanor for a moment and skipped over to Lily. "Mom, what's up?"

"I just came to see how you were doing." Lily said. "After losing you, I can't be without you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, mom." Clover reassured her, squatting down. "I'd do the same thing." One of her eyes suddenly looked behind her, and Clover stood back up. "Chiedo! Do _not_ open the fan backwards!" She ran off, tail whipping behind her, and snatched the war fan from the young girl. "You're going to slice your face if you do that."

 _She's more of a mother than me._ Lily chuckled to herself.

Chiedo nodded, her olive skin dripping with sweat. She had been forced to paint herself snow-white to match the other Kabuki, and as the lack of colors washed away, it revealed a fragile and childlike girl. She was maybe 17. 

Never in her life had Lily wanted to kill somebody so badly. She wanted to rip Chen apart and show him the exact same pain that he had shown to his-

"Lily!" Lloyd was behind her, and the rage in her mind ceased. She saw those emerald eyes and couldn't help but smile, but lost it when she saw his worried look. "Chen's going to use Skylor as a replacement for his staff in the Anacondrai spell. We have to search for her!"

"How do you know that?" Lily got up and ran with him to the docks.

"Neuro was sent a message by Skylor. She's escaped, and we need to get her to safety." Lloyd put an arm out. "Stand back, I'm gonna summon by dragon." The way he pronounced "dragon" was kinda cute in Lily's eyes, but the beast he summoned was not cute at all. It was a majestic thing, with glittering scales and a very long mustache of gold. It's green eyes looked just like Lloyd's.

The beast stood still, waiting to be ridden on. Lloyd hopped up and held out a hand. "Don't worry, it's safe."

Lily was still rather cautious of riding flying beasts, but she put her trust in her boyfriend and got on. It was so warm, and surprisingly comfy. It's large wings began to beat with a mighty thrum, and they lifted off into the sky. The ground got smaller and smaller, and Lily held onto Lloyd for support. He pointed to a grove of trees. "We search there."

They flew down, the wind flying past Lily's face. It would have been a long trek on foot, and Lily ended up being grateful for the dragon ride (as much as it terrified her). The beast slowed down, tilting upwards so it could land on all four feet without barreling into the dirt. Lloyd turned around, grabbed Lily by the waist, much to her confusion. 

The dragon was suddenly gone. For a split second they fell. Lily screamed and hugged Lloyd harder, closing her eyes. Carefully, she opened them, and saw they were standing on solid ground, her in his arms. She scrambled out of them and laughed nervously.

"Uh, thanks." She said.

"It's alright. Let's go...left." Lloyd took her hand and dragged her along, moving tree branches and large leaves out of their way. Occasionally he'd summon his dragon to cross large piles of dead trees or a small ravine.

"So how did you get this new dragon again?" Lily asked breathlessly.

"Uh, Chen decided we should go skydiving, and didn't give us enough parachutes. I gave Dad mine and just...fell. I don't really know what I was thinking, but soon I was flying." As he spoke, the duo emerged in a small village, overgrown with tree roots and flora. "Maybe Skylor's hiding here." Lloyd wondered aloud.

"It's kind of beautiful, in a sad way." Lily murmured. She poked her head inside a window, and climbed inside. "Skylor?" She asked softly, not wanting to scare her away. As she walked, Lily felt something crack beneath her feet, and picked her foot up to find a picture frame.

A young girl with her parents, looking rather content. She picked it up, feeling sorrowful.

"Skylor?" Lloyd called out. "It's us, you can come out now!"

"Lloyd, we don't wanna attract unwanted attention!" Lily poked her head outside. "What if the cultists are scouting around here?"

"To be fair, we did arrive on a dragon." He said. Lily rolled her eyes and went to put the picture frame on a dusty dresser, praying that the souls of the family could rest in peace. This had to be Chen's doing. A large part of this house was burned away. Maybe this is where he got most of his servants from. By stealing them away.

She wasn't in here. Lily climbed back through the window, running to meet up with Lloyd. He was trying to tear a large tree trunk from a door, hoping that Skylor was in there. It was rather painful to watch. Lily let her powers flow into her limbs, wrapped her arms around the bark of the tree and pulled it away, the wood landing on the ground with a large whack.

Lloyd stumbled away from it, staring at Lily. "I thought we were supposed to be covert?" He said sarcastically.

Lily blushed. "S-sorry."

Lloyd smiled playfully at her. They went inside and began to search the floorboards. "Lily, I do have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Why were you wearing that shawl over your fighter's uniform?" He asked.

Lily was silent for a moment. Lloyd knew she had a scar on her back from a previous incident, but he didn't know how big it actually was. She looked at him, and remembered how he wanted their relationship to go deeper. If she was going to keep that promise, she was gonna have to trust him a little more.

"To cover my scar." She said simply. Lloyd nodded in understanding, his eyes flitting between her face and her back.

There was a soft buzzing noise. The Green Ninja pulled out his phone and saw a voice message from Kai. He and Lily looked at each other, excited, and he played it. " _I FOUND HER! I FOUND HER!"_ A loud voice screamed through the village, making both of them grimace in pain. _"I found her! We'll meet back up at the docks._ " Kai's excited voice rang through the speaker. Lily sighed in relief, and Lloyd quickly summoned his dragon to fly them back there.

"I shouldn't have put it on speaker." He rubbed his head and helped Lily onto the dragon. They flew back to the docks. Cole, Jay, and Garmadon were already waiting there. The sensei was covered in bruises and a few cuts, but otherwise seemed fine.

Lloyd practically flew off the back of his dragon to go see his father, and embraced him. Lily hurried over to him. "Are you hurt? Is there anything you need me to do?"

"No, I'm fine-" As the words left his mouth, Garmadon suddenly crumpled to the ground, his hand reaching over his shoulder. He cried out in pain, groping at the back of his robe.

"Dad!" Lloyd cried out. He knelt down, quickly untying his robe so he could see what was causing his father so much pain. On his back was an outline of a snake made from purple ink, and it resembled the tattoos all the other cultists wore. Lily gasped in shock, her hands quivering over the area.

"It was the price..." He coughed. "For being Chen's student." Sweat began to drip down his face, and he grimaced. The tattoo began to glow an ominous violet.

"Dad, what's happening?" Lloyd asked frantically.

"I don't know..." He let out another yell of pain. Lily took Garmadon's hand, peeling away the fabric of his robe, and proceeded to soulbond with him. She was hoping to understand what was happening to him.

_Garmadon cried out in pain as the needle moved along his skin. Dark purple ink seeped into him, creating the outline of a snake. He bit his arm to keep from biting his tongue off._

_"It'll be over soon, Garmadon..." Chen's voice said soothingly. "You wish to become my student, yes? Then you must wear my mark upon your skin, the brand of a fierce warrior. That is the price."_

_Garmadon wanted to say no, to back out, but the venom in his veins kept him quiet. Blood began to seep from his arm._

_One final tap and Garmadon gasped, the tattoo finally done. He got up shakily, ignoring his new wound and staring at the mirror in front of him. Reflecting off of another mirror, he saw the design of the snake._

_"Why a tattoo? Surely there are better ways." He asked, the skin on his back inflamed and hurting._

_"In due time, you will see. I hope. But for now, I think it's time we get on with your lessons." Chen smiled nastily. "You won't be doing this alone, by the way."_

Lily felt fear trickling down her spine, and at the same time a strange sense of masochism. "Chen made him get this when he learned under him." Lily said. "Something about his cause. Chen said Garmadon would find out what the tattoo means in 'due time'."

Garmadon shivered. "I'm afraid I may have an idea of what that is." He clenched his teeth, and let out an unholy scream.

The captured cultists, currently being held outside by ropes, began to laugh. The laughter quickly turned into screams of agony, but nevertheless they kept a horrifying grin on their faces. Their teeth...they didn't even look human anymore.

The area around the tattoo began to sprout purple scales. It was bloodless, but still clearly painful. Garmadon's legs suddenly snapped together, and a cascade of scales poured down over them. His robes ripped to make room for the new tail he had. His hands grew claws, and his tongue malformed into a forked snake's tongue. He grew several sizes, and was glowing with energy. The light became too blinding, and everyone closed their eyes. When they finally opened them, Garmadon was this...snake-hybrid thing. It didn't look right, it didn't look natural. He looked like he was in so much pain.

"Dad!"

"Ssssson." Garmadon hissed. He flicked his tongue, and tried to stand up. "I sssee it now. Anyone with the mark of the Anacondrai will transsssform...like me."

"That tattoo? The same one all of the cultists have on their faces?" Realization dawned on Cole. "Oh no."


	60. Gladiolus

Clover had been the first to notice and ushered everyone into the palace. Griffin and Tox insisted on fighting, but Clover stated their attempts would be futile. They barricaded themselves inside, holding the door shut with their backs. The transformed cultists began to bang on it with their fists, slapping the forged metal with their tails.

Jay turned to stare at Garmadon and huffed. "First it was four arms, then you became a Dragon. Would you mind picking a body and sticking with it, please?"

Garmadon replied with a soft hiss, recoiling into his tail.

"Grandpa over there's one of them, why don't we let him have a go?" Tox asked, grunting against the door.

"I can't. There are too many of them. We have to think of a plan." He responded slowly, trying to get used to his fangs and forked tongue. Clover nodded.

"The Anacondrai are fierce warriors. Their hides are resistant to almost any element. They have fangs strong as steel. Some are born with even poison, but I'm not sure if it's more than a legend." She muttered, tapping a sai against her leg. "Our best plan is to trap them somewhere."

"Where would that somewhere be?" Lloyd asked.

"Someplace they are not familiar with. Maybe a net, in the ocean?"

Cole sighed. "Well, before we get off this island for good, we gotta find the others. Kai and Skylor still aren't back, and neither is Zane."

"Give me a moment." Lily closed her eyes and focused deep within herself. She felt Kai's fiery soul fighting within crystal caves on the other side of the island. And Zane...was close. In fact, he was getting closer, and at ridiculously high speeds. He was almost to the palace! "Everyone, we have to go up top!"

"But we can't leave the door unbarricaded!" Jay said. He pressed a hand to the door and was silent. "Wait...I don't feel anybody trying to get in."

"That's just what they want us to think!" Mudi yelled out, shaking a fist. "They're snakes, it makes sense!"

"Maybe if we all attack at once, it could buy us some time?" Another elemental master suggested, somebody Lily was not familiar with. She was the one who was molding the gemstone on the boat. Her headscarf sparkled with tiny diamonds and sand.

"Perhaps." Clover shrugged. "Alright everyone, ready your elements. Tosuto, Yuno, Dagu, you lead the rest of the _On'na_ _Senshi_ up to the balcony like Mom said." The girls nodded, and began to gather together their teammates. All the fighters prepared to let go of the door and fire their elements point-blank.

Clover raised three claws, counted down to one, and Griffin kicked open the doors.

A hurricane of elements swarmed outside. Rocks, lightning, energy, sand, tar, and a plethora of others. Neuro sent out a mental attack while toxic fog covered the outside area. Paleman's light bent the sunbeams in different directions that would surely hurt somebody's eyes. The attack was so strong it tore down the walls surrounding the palace, granting everyone a clear view of the pathway. It was chaos, and it lasted for only a few seconds.

The dust settled down. Everyone started to turn their heels and run, but stopped when they noticed the courtyard was bare.

Not a single snake was to be seen. Long lines in the gravel proved they had run off. But why, and to where? Surely the fight was in the snakes' favor. Lily rubbed her eyes, wondering if somebody's element had messed up her vision.

"They're not here."

Clover hissed and backed up. "Perhaps it's part of their plan. Everyone move-" She was interrupted when a gigantic, silver colored beast of some sort landed on the ground. Frightened, she recoiled and hid behind Garmadon, hissing and spitting.

Lloyd went outside to investigate. He looked up at the beast's rider, and broke into a smile. "Zane! What-how?"

It was not just a beast, but rather a dragon. It's titanium wings glittered like snow in the sunlight, and it seemed proud to have the White Ninja as it's rider. Zane gave them a soft smile, shifting the dragon's feet so he could get a better view. "See? I told you I'd be fine."

"ZANE!" Cole ran up to his boyfriend, who allowed the dragon to dissipate into a silvery mist so he could hug him back. "How did you do that?"

"I let go of my fears." He replied.

"Wait, so Metal Man is saying..." Karlof processed. "That...we can summon dragon too?"

"I think so." Lloyd breathed. "I don't see how that would be impossible."

"Zane, was it you who made all those snakes retreat?" Cole asked excitedly. "It had to be you. Your dragon is just so cool!"

Zane's face went cold. He sighed, and pointed to the docks. It was bare, with no sign of ships or air vehicles. "I saw them leave, just as I came over. Chen was leading them, they had rebuilt some of their artillery...and they also took the Roto jet. Cole, I'm sorry. I couldn't stop them." He looked down, defeated with himself.

"So we're stuck here?" Jay said. He began to panic. "This, this is just priceless. He took the Roto jet and all of the Blade-Copters!"

"Karlof have family in Ninjago!" The Nordic man yelled in anger. "Wife and child..."

All the fighters gathered outside and stared at the horizon.

"We thought we had the upper hand. Our guard was down and look what happened." Cole shook his head. Then he glanced at Garmadon. "Oh, that's what you meant by the laurels earlier."

Garmadon nodded. "A trait my brother and I sssshare."

"Nobody listens to me! You all say I overreact, but no!" Jay continued rambling.

Lloyd sighed, bringing a hand to his heart. "Zane and I will have to go."

"Both of you? Take on their whole army?!" Lily scoffed. "No way! I'm not losing anyone again!"

"Do we really have a choice? We're the only one with Elemental Dragons!" He argued.

"No, you're-argh!" Lily turned to the distraught nindroid. "Zane, how did you say you unlocked your dragon?"

"I faced my fear." He explained. "When I realized it wasn't something in front of me that held me back, but something inside me, I found a deeper power."

"Something not in front of you, but inside you..." Lily wasn't sure what could be holding her back. She had already proven time and time again she was capable. Looking at everyone, she wondered how she could save them.

_Ah. That's it. Loss._

Lily was scared of losing her teammates again, and had put the burden of protecting them on herself. She felt responsible for the protection of Ninjago and them, despite her true part in all of it. Lily wanted to protect them all, but how could she ever do that in a way that it wasn't a fear to her that she'd lose?

She had to protect them. She had to summon a dragon so Lloyd wouldn't go alone. So Zane wouldn't go alone. So they wouldn't go alone. So she could fight and be capable, to keep them alive. To stop Chen and give him karma for all of his misdeeds. Because she loved them so, so, so much.

Even if she failed, she'd do it because she loved them. That was enough. Even if she lost them, she knew that she had done what she could. Because she loved them! Looking into Zane's eyes, she knew it was true.

Slowly, a dragon began to materialize inside of her. It blossomed out of her chest, into the air, it's wings opening to reveal a glorious scattering of scales. Her dragon was covered from head to toe in scars, but she didn't mind that. Even as she was lifted onto it's back, matching hers almost exactly, Lily felt calm and at peace with herself. Somewhat, at least.

"She did it!" Gravis cried out.

A hot blast of air suddenly hit them, and a red dragon surrounded by flames landed on the rubble of the wall. Kai, Nya, and a transformed Skylor leapt off, grateful to find the others.

Garmadon sighed. "You too?"

Skylor nodded. "I'm not ssso happy about it either."

Kai smiled up at her. "If it helps, you're still the most beautiful girl in the world to me."

"D'aww." She turned to him, clearly larger by a foot, and wrapped her tail around his waist to pull him closer. "Thanks, lil' pepper." Kai blushed as if he had eaten one.

"NYA!" Jay rushed to the samurai and embraced her, who laughed and hugged back. "Where have you been?"

"Back at the camp. I tried to stop Chen from stealing the jet, but he-"

"That's okay! We're gonna go after him. We can all use the dragons, can't we?!"

Everyone began to cheer as they lifted off into the sky, forgetting their doubts and placing their trust in fate, God, whatever. Lily looked at the colorful dragons dancing above her, and she was about to join them. Turning around, she saw Clover, and reached a hand out.

"Mom?"

Lily's dragon was gone, and she ran to meet Clover. "It's okay, the dragon won't hurt you." She said gently. The young Venomari shifted from foot to foot. 

"That's not the problem."

Clover looked behind her, where all the Senshi had gathered. She sighed, and stood up tall.

"Mom. I'm staying on the island."

Lily was dumbstruck. She took a moment to process this, then asked "Why?"

"It's not because I hate you. Mom, I love you, and I'm so grateful that you were able to find me. But I've been on my own for a while now. I've been here for so long. I can't go back to Ninjago, not yet. Besides," She pointed to her warriors-in-training, "I have these girls to take care of." Subarashī came forward, and took Clover's hand into her own, nodding.

Lily wanted to scream. To make her daughter come with her. But one look into her eyes told her that Clover was ready. Unfortunately, her being a part of Clover's life was now over. She had grown. It was time to move on. Tears began to prick at the corner of her eyes. "But I just found you..."

Clover took her mother's hands. "Mom, Mom, it's alright. You can visit anytime. One day, I'll find my way back to Ninjago, to society, to you. I just can't do that right now. I thought I'd be ready for anything. Turns out I'm not." She let out a small chuckle. "I'll always be here if you need me."

"We could really use you against Chen, though." Lily pleaded.

"I can't do that." Clover said. "I'm sorry. I finally got him out of my life, renounced everything, right in front of him. Now please...I don't want that bad man to come back into it."

Lily understood. Clover may be independent, but she was still so young. Not wanting to face the man that had caused her life to be such a living hell was understandable. The hardest part was saying goodbye.

"Clover, stay safe. Please. I'll send letters, or maybe we can set up a phone line. I don't know. We'll stay in contact somehow." Lily hugged her daughter, promoting over and over again that she would never leave her.

"It's not forever, Mom." Clover said, hugging her back. "I love you so much. Thank you, for being my mommy."

It took a long time, but Lily finally let go, her daughter's scales brushing against the tips of her fingers. She smiled at her and Subarashī, offering words of encouragement. Then Lily turned around, and jumped into the air.

"SOUL!"

A lavender dragon appeared again, and she rode off into the distance.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the labyrinth, Jacob, Master of Sound, finally found a way out of the snake's body, which had coiled around him when she died. He tapped the ground and the walls, searching for an exit.

He sensed a man.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" He asked, picking up a fallen rock and using it as a shield.

Unbeknownst to him, it was Ash. Being the psychotic man he was, Chen had chained him up in a dungeon. One event led to another, and he managed to escape. Now, Ash was trying to find a way back to the surface.

"Hey, uh, mister. I'm trying to find my way back up top. Maybe we'll work better if we team up?"

Ash snarled at him and began to climb the wall, hoping he could reach the tunnel Cole had previously made. The sounds he made alerted Jacob to the entrance, and he nodded. "Alright. Thanks, uh, whatever your name is."

The Master of Smoke honestly wanted to kill him by inhalation, but he was just too tired to do that. Ash was honestly spent from using his element so much that day, trying to slip through walls and other things. He just wanted to get away from this guy instead.

But Jacob was climbing up right behind him, chattering the whole way. Ash's eye twitched, and his ears dissolved into smoke. Only his ears.


	61. Forsythia

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

The emptiness of the city unnerved Lily. She was expecting an ambush. A trap. Her heart beat a million miles an hour, and she heightened her senses. Hair bristled on the back of her neck and her pupils dilated. Her dragon landed softly on the asphalt road and Lily climbed off of it, the beast disappearing into a wisp of smoke.

Kai landed behind her. He helped Skylor off, who had troubled with her new tail, and she sniffed the air, her tongue flickering in and out of her mouth. The Master of Amber recoiled as if she just smelled rotten milk.

"My father was here, only for a moment."

"How do you know?" Jay asked, sliding off his dragon with Nya behind him.

"Anacondrai can smell a lot better than most people. Trust me." She said. She lifted her head into the air once again, flicked her tongue and sighed. "I can't tell where he went. The smell branches off in 3 different directions." She pointed west, east, and north-east (using her tail).

"Okay, let's start planning." Cole said, a fist in his palm. "Three teams, each with a powerful member in case one of us encounters Chen. Any of those ways is most certainly a trap, so be careful. We're gonna go all out, and also hold back just a bit."

"Did you just hear what you said?" Griffin asked, confused by his choice of words.

Cole pointed to Lloyd. "Dear leader, I think it would be best for you to accompany Kai, Shade, Paleman, and Karlof east."

Lloyd nodded, and went to join them. As he passed Lily, he whispered something to her. "Where's Clover?"

Lily went quiet. "She...she didn't want to."

Lloyd's face was saddened, but filled with an aura of understanding.

Cole sorted out the rest of the groups. Jay would lead Nya, Griffin, Void, and Gravis west. Cole himself would bring the masters of Nature, Magnetism, Tar, and Minerals north-east. "And everyone else can stay, in case they return or they end up being in a different direction. Zane, you got my comm?"

The nindroid nodded, holding up the earpiece. "Roger that, love."

Cole smiled, and the teams separated. Lily waved goodbye, and turned to the others. Skylor was with them, just in case she smelled her father again. The poor girl looked so embarrassed by her form, curling her tail around herself. Her slitted eyes stared around the city streets with intensity.

Unfortunately, one of the masters who stayed with them was the one with the creepy red eyes. Lily still didn't know her element, and it was bugging her. She wore what looked like stereotypical Gothic Lolita clothing-a frilly black dress and fuchsia ribbons in her hair. She refused to make contact with anyone, it seemed. That would make a soulbond with her difficult...not like Lily wanted one with her, or anything.

Lily suddenly remembered that she didn't soulbond with the others when they left, and scolded herself silently. It would be a lot more helpful to have track of everyone than just the leaders of the group.

Fortunately, everyone else returned 30 minutes later completely fine. Lloyd's group had discovered an outpost of Anacondrai to the west, near the sea of sand. The other trails had been there to put Skylor off-track, but Jay's group found the citizens of the city hiding in the evacuation routes underneath the roads. Garmadon suggested that they all regroup at his monastery to discuss the upcoming battle.

It was awkward to say the least when a plethora of elemental masters suddenly arrived and made their stay at Garmadon's home. Poor Misako and Wu were slightly dumbfounded. The old sensei hadn't seen this many masters together since the Serpentine Wars.

The ninja finally found a quiet spot upstairs, away from the crowd. Garmadon sighed, resting his body on his coiled tail.

"You look...good, brother." Wu said.

Garmadon gave him a weak smile.

"So if the Anacondrai are stationed here, all we have to do is make a good strategy to surround them." Lloyd began. "But we don't know what they're capable of..."

"How do we prevent a war?" Jay moaned. "How do we stop an enemy we know so little about?"

Cole shrugged. "Sensei Wu, G, you were in the wars. Don't you know how to stop them?"

The brothers looked at one another. "I'm going to be honest with you." Wu said, leaning against his staff. "Most of it was luck and a few stupid ideas that managed to work. If it wasn't for the Sacred Flutes, we would have lost. They changed their strategies every weekend. Always 10 steps ahead of us."

Garmadon nodded. "And these cultisssts are on a completely different level. Common combat has already proved to be uselesss. We don't have the ssslightest idea."

"Then we talk to somebody who does."

Everyone turned around to see a fuming Lily. She narrowed her eyes and motioned towards the door with a tilt of her head. "Pythor, the last living Anacondrai. He would know their capabilities. We can get an idea and go from there."

"No, you don't have to do that." Skylor slithered up. "Just tesst some trickss on me. We all know I have a good ssense of ssmell. Maybe I have a weaknessss or something you can find."

"No way!" Kai objected. "I'm not putting you through that. Or him." He pointed to Garmadon.

"Kai, for the good of all Ninjago, I insisst." Skylor said. "I can take it."

Kai stood firm. "Not happening." The two stared each other off for a few minutes, before Skylor finally gave in. Kryptarium prison it was, then.

The other elemental masters agreed to scout the area where Chen's camp was and contact them if they did anything. Before Lily left, Karlof tugged on her sleeve.

"Karlof heard you have special bonds when you touch person's hand, correct?" He asked. Lily nodded. The gruff man took off his left glove and stuck his bare hand out. "Bond with Karlof, please. If you want."

Lily finally gave him a small smile and gripped his hand with her right one by habit. An odd way to shake somebody's hand, but it still worked.

_There was a beautiful woman around the same size as Karlof, with a powerful build and a sea of red hair. She smiled at him, holding his hand. The other rested below her bosom, and she whispered "You're going to be father, Karlof."_

If anybody had anything to fight for, it was definitely this man. Lily thanked him and prepared to venture out. The Ninja took flight on their dragons and followed Lily to the prison complex. It was in the sea of sand, a good tactical choice.

Lily landed on the sandstone ground with a furious expression on her face. She began walking towards the towering gates, waving to the guards. One of them saw Wu and quickly opened up the gates, the metal bars sinking into the ground and walls.

The Warden quickly came out to greet them. "Ah, Lily! Welcome back! And I see you brought some friends..." His voice trailed off when he saw Skylor and Garmadon.

"Don't worry, they're with us." Kai explained. "They're under some sort of Anacondrai curse. We're here to talk to Pythor about it."

"...Ah. That explains the purple mirage a few hours ago." The Warden muttered. "Well, please, come inside-but we'll need to confiscate your weapons."

Lily sighed and reached for her _kama_ -and felt nothing. She sighed, feeling so stupid. She left them on the island! Of course, Lily was planning to go back anyway, but she still felt bad about losing them.

Either way, long process of metal detectors and policemen poking and prodding their suits awaited. Zane was fairly sure he had broken the detector, because it made a high beeping sound and the glass bulb on the top of it shattered. The Warden assured him it was alright. Along the way, Lloyd explained everything to the Warden, who phoned a few people in response to the situation.

Guards eyed Skylor and Garmadon, but didn't make a move. The Warden deactivated the defense systems and led the group into the inner bowels of the prison-the actual prison itself. Rows upon rows of cells lined walls surrounding a circular room. A small watchtower was placed in the middle of it.

Criminals sat in their cells, giving everyone dirty looks. Men and woman with tasers stood around the cells of the more wild ones. In a particularly large cell Lily noticed an inactive Stone Army unit, maybe 15 feet tall. It sat unmoving, but it's eyes appeared to follow her.

She was used to this, unfortunately, with how many times she had to interrogate Pythor. The Warden led them to the correct cell, a bullet-proof glassed room with a tiny dollhouse inside. For such a proud warrior, this must be humiliating. Lily couldn't help but smirk at the situation.

The Warden swiped a card over a panel, and the glass retracted. Once everyone was inside, he locked it again. Standard procedure, you can never be too careful. It was complexity soundproof in here as well.

Lily walked over to the house and spun it around. There was a small shriek, and Pythor tumbled out of a small chair, spilling a tiny cup of coffee and dropping a ball with a strange handprint on it for a face. He looked up and sneered.

"Oh, it's you."

She picked him up by the tail. "Guess what?" She asked quietly. "I found her."

"Oh, you did? See, told you I was right. Where was she?"

"Chen's Island." Lily squeezed him tighter. "She was sold there like some slave, along with my brother Zane. Do you wanna know what happened to her?"

"Okay, okay." Lloyd put a hand on Lily's shoulder. "Let him go. You made your point."

Lily scowled at him, but dropped Pythor anyway. He wheezed, rolling around on the table the dollhouse sat on. "Yes, I missed you too. WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He screeched.

"We need your help." Lloyd said, kneeling down on one knee.

Pythor stared at him for a moment, before letting out a shrill laugh. "Help _you_? The Ninja? You fed me to the Devourer, defeated every army I've aligned with, even forced me to swallow your shrinking pill! Haven't you done enough damage to my diminishing ego?"

"And you took my baby away from me, I say it's fair-" Lily was held back by Cole, her hands curled into fists. Her nerves were glowing with violet energy.

The snake rolled his tiny eyes. "I suppose this is about that culturally insensitive noodle baron and his ilk that are now Anacondrai. Imposters, if you ask me. Yes, yes, word gets around. I was informed of the situation before you came in here."

"Imposters?" Jay asked. "You don't side with them?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Pythor screamed in his face. "What sane person would?! They mock me and my culture! I've known Chen since the Wars, he didn't start this insanity a week ago! But I can't believe he actually managed to turn himself into one of my kind. Unbelievable." Pythor slithered back into a chair, puffing out air.

"So does that mean you'll help us stop him?"

"Course not. Unless you can make me big again, I don't want any part in this at all." He crossed his arms. "I don't trust ninja anyway."

"How about a sssnake?" Garmadon asked, slithering into view. Pythor was taken aback, and let a grin pop up on his face.

"Garma-condrai? Now you've piqued my interest. Perhaps we can make a deal?" His long neck bent towards Garmadon, and the sensei flicked his tongue at him.

"You sssmell."

"You're hideous."

"I think thiss arrangement will do nicely." Garmadon nodded. "Let's get to business."

The doors to the prison suddenly blew open, revealing an explosion of fire and smoke. Everyone gathered outside, where Zane was readying his fists.

"I sense we aren't the only ones in need of Pythor." He said.


	62. Maple

Skylor's hand had began to itch ever since the transformation. She scratched at it furiously, but it never went away. The more she scratched, the more her scaly skin began to ripple, as if it was loose on her body. A few fell away like sequins. She didn't tell anybody, she figured it was a side-effect of the spell. Skylor kept scratching at it the entire time they talked with Pythor, ignoring it's oddities.

But then she noticed a couple purple scales fall off to reveal her freckled skin below. Skylor stared at it in bewilderment, and it clicked. But before she could tell the others, the doors blew open.

Several Anacondrai warriors slithered in, snapping their jaws at the guards. Several attacked them with tasers, but the warriors shook it off and grabbed them with their tails, throwing them across the room. Another four slithered in, holding a fancy chair high above their heads. For some reason, they all wore gloves.

"We come for the most esteemed Anacondrai, Python, to lead us in battle!" The general bellowed. "Tell us where he is and we won't harm anyone else here."

"Disgusting! The lot of you!" Pythor screeched. The Anacondrai snapped their heads in his direction. "You make a mockery! I will NEVER sit on that chair, no matter how much you worship me!"

The general peered at him. "Is...is he truly that small?"

Pythor hissed.

"Take him."

The warriors lunged forward. Garmadon slithered in front of Lloyd and Pythor, blocking their attack. He forced them back, telling everyone to go.

"I'm not leaving you!" Lloyd argued.

"Guys, I think there's another reason they need Pythor." Skylor finally spoke up, and showed her hand. More scales began to fall away, and her human hand was clearly visible below. "I'm turning back."

Garmadon allowed a warrior to bite his right hand, and they tore away the scaly skin. His perfectly normal human hand reappeared underneath. His eyes glittered with sweet realization "Of course. They haven't perfected their new bodies, and they need Pythor to do that. Under the guise of worship so nobody else would know their weakness."

The warriors screamed and each one leapt at Lloyd, trying to grab Pythor. He summoned an Elemental Shield, and the warriors flew back along with surges of Energy. The other ninja stood in front of him protectively, blasting elements at the warriors to keep them down.

"We have to get him out of here." Lloyd held Pythor up. "If he's the key to preventing a war, we can't let him fall into the wrong hands." Lloyd stared at the lack of stature on the snake. "Literally."

"Oh, I get it. It's literal because of my size. Haha, very funny." The true Anacondrai muttered sarcastically. "But I'm a little sensitive to all the size references."

"A _little_ sensitive?" Garmadon grinned.

There was a pause, and then a sigh. "Okay, I stepped right into that one." Pythor admitted.

The ceiling caved in, and a swarm of fighter mechs dropped to the ground. The sandstone cracked beneath their feet. Snake-eyed men stared at the ninja, and started to make a beeline for Pythor.

Lily hated having to protect him, but she had no choice. As one mech came running at them full force, she put out her hands and dented metal, stopping it in it's tracks. She threw it on it's side, and the machine busted from the impact. The pilot slithered out and tried to bite her.

Lily reached for her kama and remembered she forgot them.

Cole was there just in time, and he grabbed the jaws of the snake. With it's mouth not having any indestructible hide, he easily made work of it by breaking his bottom jaw. The snake screamed in agony, and all the other warriors took a cautious step forward.

Kai chose this moment to summon his Elemental Dragon, frightening all the warriors with it's fiery gaze. He reached for Skylor's hand. "Everyone, fly! Now!"

"What about the prison?" The Warden yelled over the beating of the dragon's wings.

"They'll follow." Garmadon said. "Trust me." Lloyd helped him onto his dragon and they all took off into the sky. Pythor screamed the whole way, and Lily fought her urge to hop onto Lloyd's dragon and squish him in her fist.

"Where do we go from here? They're gonna follow our path!" Jay asked.

"Split up. Lily, take Pythor." Zane instructed.

"WHAT?!"

"It's our best option." He explained. "They'll never think you would take him. Chen is, most likely, very much aware of how much you hate him. They'll go after Lloyd, but they won't find him, and that will buy us time."

Lily let her dragon fly closer to Lloyd's. Garmadon reached out, holding Pythor, and dropped him into Lily's lap. The snake clutched her gi and kept screaming. She sighed in irritation.

Then there was this...sound, like hundreds of jets soaring into the air.

The ninja turned to see where it was coming from, and saw an army of Anacondrai mechs soaring upwards. Their outstretched wings and small bodies made for easy flight. They were surrounded in seconds. Lily dodged one, and reared her dragon. She wanted to claw at them or something, but wasn't quite sure how. A mech took this chance to barrel into her dragon's stomach and toss her out. Pythor tumbled from her attempted grasp, right into the seat of another mech.

"NO!" Lily cried out.

Pythor bit the cultist on the arm. His scales turned a deeper purple, and his claws poked through his glove. Lily watched in vain as the cultist figured out how to perfect the spell. She bit her tongue and tumbled through the clouds. She lost Pythor to the enemy. She was falling. She was so scared, she couldn't think.

Then something grabbed her. Lily's head was swimming, she couldn't see. The hand didn't feel warm like any of the ninja, and she was dragged onto the machine they rode on. It was all her fault. If she hadn't tried to fight back like that, she'd still have Pythor, and still be with her family.

She blacked out.

...

The ninja landed at the entrance to Nya's secret Samurai X cave, panting. Lloyd hit the sand, furious that they had lost Pythor, but even more angered that he lost his girlfriend. Kai came over and put his hand on Lloyd's shoulder. 

"Don't worry, we'll find her Lloyd." He said. "She's strong. She'll be there for us."

"But it's her and thousands of Anacondrai Cultists with perfect bodies!" Lloyd argued, putting his hands on his head. "I don't know if she can hold out. I want to be there for her."

"We all do." Kai said quietly. "That's why we're going to attack them first." He stood and pointed into the distance. "Their camp is somewhere that way. Before they even get a chance to take any part of Ninjago, we're going to bring down their camp. All of us."

"What if we lose?" Lloyd asked.

Kai was silent, but his gaze was firm. His hazel eyes were transfixed on a specific canyon.


	63. Marigold

Lily woke to a horrible feeling in her stomach, and a dull pain in her wrists.

Faintly, she could make out two purple shapes. They were chattering, and it sounded like they were two rooms over. The room was swaying and nothing was where it should have been. She tried to pick her head up, and a dizzying swarm of pain rammed through her. She groaned and laid back on what she thought was the ground, the chains on her neck sifting.

_Wait...chains?_

"Oh! Oh! She's awake!" One of the purple blobs slithered over. "Attention! You have been captured by Chen's army, and if you try to escape now, YOU WILL SUFFER MOST-"

"Dude, too early!" The other purple blob interrupted. "I don't think she even knows where she is."

"That's why I'm telling her!"

Lily found it hard to breathe. She opened and closed her eyes, trying to focus on her hand laying next to her. A metal clamp was wrapped around it, and there were dulled screws digging into her skin like pressure points. That's where the pain was coming from. She turned her head to her other hand, and realized she wasn't laying on her side like she thought. She was being held _right-side up,_ chained to a hard wall.

Lily tried struggling, but she was trapped in a way it made it hard for her to get enough air. Or maybe it was the tight iron collar made of vengestone she had around her esophagus. She couldn't tell. Her lungs moaned and she tried speaking, but it came out as only a whisper.

"...Where am I...?"

Somehow the two warriors heard her. The kinder one came up and patted her on the head mockingly. "You're in Chen's camp, m'lady. You're chained to a rock and you won't escape."

"Not to mention you made me have to use every vengestone chain we have to keep you down!" Chen suddenly cried out, entering the tent. His long tail left a track in the sand. The two warriors immediately stood aside and saluted. Chen paid no attention to this and came up to her. His face was calm, but bitter and hateful.

He slapped her across the face.

"You turned my greatest warrior against me. Clover was going to be a great asset, she was going to help me conquer all of Ninjago! And you made her bite away one of my chances." He snarled. "Then you take out half my troops, and it took everyone's power to chain you up! And now we have no vengestone left to use against the Elemental Alliance if they come to attack! Thanks a lot!"

"...I never took out your men..." Lily said, confused.

"You don't remember?" Chen laughed. "We must've hit your head harder than we intended. Yes. You were brought here, and the second you realized where you were you crippled half of my entire army. And for that, I won't grant you the mercy of death." He smiled, his fangs gleaming.

The fire of anger began to surge within her again. She tried to lash out, to escape, but all she could manage was a pointless dance in the mess of chains she was wrapped up in. Chen and the other two troops began to laugh heartily at this.

"Cappy! Poptart!" He pointed to the man on the left. "Watch over her. Violence is allowed if needed."

"Actually, my name is Chope, and his...name...is Kapau." He trailed away as Chen ignored his statement and exited the tent. Both men shrugged and hefted their spears, staring at her.

Lily stared back, her anger clear as day.

"You were really scary." Chope said. "The mechs came flying down, and you woke up, and BOOM!" He mimed an explosion with his hands. "It was like you were some killing machine."

 _Your point?_ Lily asked silently.

"What we wanted to say is, thanks-ish? For sparing us?" Kapau said. "I don't know, just don't tell Chen we're talking to you, we're really bored."

"We've been sitting here all day waiting for you to wake up. Rock paper scissors was getting old."

"...Why?" Lily whispered.

"Why? We just said, we're bored." Chope rolled his eyes. "Her memory must be jacked."

"No..." Lily tried to pull in more air, the thick collar tightening with each breath. "Why...cult?"

"OH! Uh..." Kapau clicked his forked tongue. "We wanted to do something that would mean something for once. Then we found out about a group of guys who were gonna turn into snakes and take over the world, and we were like, 'why not'?" He sighed, his scales rippling across his chest. "But lately...I don't really know what to say. I'm not so sure about the whole hurting innocent people part, but we're too far in. I'm scared to back out now."

Lily took in this information. That was...really sad. She saw a little bit of herself in his words, and pitied the two. A long time ago, she too believed she was worthless and would never be known by anyone. Lily opened her mouth to answer, maybe apologize for them, but Chope interrupted her.

"That's it, we're done talking!" Chope said, pulling his best friend aside. "You know she has a way with words. She turned Clover against us, and that snake hated her most of all! She'll use any and all information, twist it, just so we can let her go. We can't trust her."

"Trust...me?" Lily echoed. She coughed, taking a minute to try and breathe before speaking again. "I refuse...to be let...free."

"See Chope?" Kapau nudged his friend. "She isn't trying to escape. She just wants to talk."

"That's what she WANTS YOU TO THINK!" Chope yelled.

"Shush! Chen'll hear you and we'll get in huge trouble!"

The two began bickering. Lily watched and found how tired she was from all this talking. She wanted to close her eyes and sleep, but she was scared of what might happen while she did. The two snakes were snarling at each other, and she was saddened by their close friendship slowly shredding itself apart.

"Stop. Fighting." She said as loud as she could. The two stopped yelling and turned to look at her. Kapau nodded and finally said something that made sense to all of them.

"Look at us! We're dividing ourselves." He said. "Come on. Let's at least pity her."

Chope sighed and gave in. "Fine." He reached over and loosened her collar slightly. Lily gasped, fresh desert air filling her lungs. She looked at Chope stared daggers at her. "I can take this off and I can put it back on. Now what is it you wanna say?"

Lily made a "wait a moment" signal with her right hand, taking in as much air as she could. "There are better things to do that can leave your mark on the world." More heavy breathing. "Better than cults, better than hurting innocent people. Better than ruining your friendship."

"Like what?" Chope hissed.

"Fight with us." She croaked. "Be a hero and take Chen down."

Kapau and Chope looked at each other, contemplating this. Chope growled and began to twist the collar chains together again. "See? She's trying to make us let her g-"

"No! She's got a point." Kapau put his clawed hand on his friend's arm. "Just look at the Ninja. They're so well known for doing good."

"We tried that! We saved cats, stopped robbers. But nobody knew us at all! Not even our names!"

"But now's our chance." Kapau smiled. "We take down Chen and free Ninjago from his short-lived reign. Our names will go down in history books!" He slithered in a circle, his tail kicking up sand. "Chope, we've wanted out of this heck-hole of a cult for a while. You know that."

"You were so impatient and greedy for fame, you ended up doing the wrong thing to make your mark on history." Lily observed. "Now's your chance to make it right." Chope stared at her, wanting to retort something, but he knew she was right. He stared at his friend, waiting for an answer.

Kapau nodded, agreeing with her. He took his friend's fingers off the collar chains and hugged him. "Come on. This is perfect. We're high up on Chen's ranks. He'll never know we're coming." The half-snake let go. "Then, when we take him down...all of Ninjago will know Chope and Kapau!"

Chope looked at the ground and groaned. "Ugh...that's...that's brilliant. I admit it! It's a better idea than this cult." He looked at Lily, his slitted eyes stared into her soul. "But if this is a trap...we will show no mercy. And we're not letting you free! Just in case I'm right!"

"Oh, and don't let Chen know you can breathe normally now." Kapau added. "He'll get really mad. Just stay chained up until we figure out an awesome plan."

Lily muttered something.

"What?"

"Food." She said. "Please."

"We're not supposed to feed you-" Chope began, but Kapau interrupted him.

"Come on. What's one more little ball of rice gonna do?" He metaphorically swatted the issue away. "Alright. Are you in? No trying to break out, and follow all the rules here. Do that, and we guarantee you, Chen's gonna be toast."

Lily nodded. "I'm in. But food first, please."

Kapau gave her a rather stale mochi ball that she hungrily wolfed down. With a content stomach and two new allies (hopefully), she went to sleep peacefully.

The morning she woke to, however, was not as peaceful.

There was so much banging and yelling outside, people barking at one another to get to work. Kapau and Chope stood in front of her, spears in hand, as if yesterday's conversation never happened. For a moment Lily was scared it hadn't, but Kapau side-eyed her and smiled a bit.

 _Plan?_ She mouthed.

Chope made a motion with his fingers-"wait for my signal".

For the sake of hiding their alliance, they decided not to speak to one another until lunch hour, where everyone would be distracted. For the time being, Lily meditated. She wished she could find her friends, but the vengestone prevented any ounce of her power from leaking out. Although this begged the question-

Why did they need so many vengestone chains when just one is enough to sate an elemental?

For the millionth time, she wished she could remember what happened yesterday.

"Good morning!" Chen's ugly voice snapped her back to reality. Kapau and Chope stiffened. Chope gave her a knowing look-wait for his signal. The lead cultist slithered in and delivered a blow to her stomach with his tail as a greeting. She gagged and tried her best not to breathe too heavily, or else Chen would know the collar was loosened. "How is my favorite prisoner doing today?"

Lily used an expletive.

Chen growled, and slithered closer. His eyes did not show mercy. "Watch your tongue."

Lily spat in his face.

Chen reared like a cobra, and was about to snap at her with his elongated teeth, when a sound echoed throughout the canyon. It was like an engine was starting up, but also sounded organic. Only one element made that sound.

Lily dropped the act and head-butted Chen. He flew back several feet, spitting in the sand. She could feel her power flowing in her, even though she was basically covered in vengestone. Chope and Kapau looked at each other, shrugged, and threw their spears onto Chen's tail. The anacondrai-made weapons went right through his skin and pinned Chen there.

"I prepared this whole speech and everything but you know what?! Forget it! WE QUIT!" Kapau yelled. Chope came over and pulled the vengestone chains away, trying to untangle them before Chen got up.

"I'm actually kinda glad it worked out the way it did. I was a little scared with us talking him down as a distraction." He managed to get half of the chains off, and tried to bite through the other ones with his teeth.

"It's okay, I got this." Lily stumbled across the room, tripping over the chains as they slowly fell in streams to the sand. Chen screamed at her.

"YOU BI-!"

Kapau ripped his spear from Chen's tail, making the man scream like a little girl. He hissed, limping back and disappearing into the curtains. "You'll pay!" His voice echoed. "YOU'LL DIE!"

Outside, the ground shook, and Lily sensed several thousand souls near her. She hurried outside, trailing chains, and saw the most glorious display of battle Ninjago had since the Final Battle.

Despite the army being halved, there was an impressive amount of warriors clashing with elemental masters and everyday citizens alike. It was like all of Ninjago had come together to form it's own army. She searched the crowd, trying to find somebody to fight, someone to save, when an ambush of anacondrai rushed out to stab her.

"Watch out!" Kapau and Chope yelled. Lily turned around, when the warriors stopped at a standstill. It was like time was no longer flowing for them, and only them.

Their arms curled behind their backs and they were swung upside down. A young girl walked out from behind them, content with her work. She was the gothic girl Lily had seen before.

She made eye contact with her. Her blood-red eyes...oh, of course.

"Th-thank you." Lily turned away and tried to find another target, very creeped out.

That's when a certain green-clad lover got her attention.

Lloyd was holding a sword, fighting against an anacondrai warrior. He slashed at it's hide, but the warrior struck him with his spear. Lloyd cried out, a bloody wound on his side. The warrior took a chance with the distraction and raised his weapon.

Having been held back for a while, Lily lost control. She bounded towards the anacondrai attacking him and preformed an uppercut on his jaw. His body flew through the air, and hit the ground with a sickening crack. She wanted to turn to Lloyd and hug him, thankful he was able to arrive, plaster him with kisses, but her gaze was locked on the anacondrai's body.

From his mouth, liters of blood were spilling out. His head was at an unnatural angle. His yellow eyes began to dilate, and his chest was slowing to a stand-still. The jaw she had punched was dangling like it wasn't even connected to him anymore. As she stared, something inside of Lily's body burned out. The soul she once sensed from him suddenly didn't exist anymore.

Lily dropped to the ground, her legs weakened. Lloyd was at her side in an instant, seeing the corpse laying still. "Lily? Lily!" She ignored him, and felt her head fall into her hands. Her skin began to blaze with purple-more energy than she had ever used before.

_She just killed someone for the first time in her life._

Lily let out an ungodly scream, and the skin on her body cracked open to reveal violet.


	64. Milk Vetch

"Lily! Lily-" Lloyd felt the skin on his hand grow burning hot. He let go of his girlfriend, and saw a few thin layers of skin peel off. "Lily, listen to me! It's going to be alright!" He tried to ignore the corpse on his left, a direct cause of her trying to save his life. He tried in vain to get her attention, but her veins began glowing brighter, brighter, brighter, until-

"MNGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

She lifted her head up howled. Her skin seemed to crack open like amethyst, streams of bright lavender making the sun dim in comparison. There were so many emotions boiling in Lloyd at once. Anger, fear, sadness, repentance, horror. The strange thing was, he wasn't actually feeling them. He had no reason to feel them. They were just there.

The fighting stopped as everyone, anacondrai and human alike, were blinded by her display. She still had her mouth open in a silent scream. Lloyd felt his father pull on his arm, and was led away blindly to the shadows. Everyone else retreated, each side to their own. Lloyd held onto his father as the force of her power rattled the tents and kicked up the sand.

Kai shuffled next to them. His eyes were barely cracked open. "WHAT DO WE DO?!" He yelled over the wind.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Garmadon answered. More and more scales began to rip off from his body into the wind, and he looked human from his hand to his shoulder. Lloyd managed to get a glimpse of Lily. Her tears were floating in the air and she looked like she was in so much pain. He looked down at his hands, then at the space between them.

_I can make it._

Without warning, Lloyd left his father's grasp and activated his elemental shield, pushing slowly through the fires of energy she was sending out. He could hear his brothers screaming at him to come back and not be an idiot, but he knew what he was doing. He just hoped it would work.

_I can calm her down long enough for everyone else to get over here._

He finally reached her, and held out his hand. His retinas burned. His head felt like it could snap off at any time. He screamed her name: "LILY!" When she didn't answer, Lloyd mustered the strength of his element and forced his body to propel towards her. The moment he touched her, the fabric of his suit burned away and his skin roared with ferocious pain, but he embraced her anyway.

In an instant, the winds began to die down, but Lloyd could still feel powerful pulses of energy coming from her. He didn't let go, despite the muscles straining in his arms. Lloyd put his mouth to her ear and whispered "I'm here."

Lily's eyes closed, and the light she was making stopped shining. Both sides of the war finally removed their arms from over their eyes, and admired the sight before them. It was oddly beautiful.

As Lloyd bent deeper into the embrace, hoping to keep her in check, he remembered what he and his father discussed before they arrived...

_After Pythor arrived at the Bounty just before take-off on a rat, everyone decided it would be best to listen to him. How he managed to do that stunt with no shame was unknown._

_"If the generals you banished to the Cursed Realm so long ago saw this mockery, they would stop this travesty at once." Pythor explained, pointing a claw at Garmadon._

_"No one comes back from the Cursed Realm." Misako said bluntly._

_"Unless he that cursed them takes their place." He turned to the Sensei, a knowing look on his face._

_Garmadon looked down, realizing what he was saying. "I...could unleash the spirits of the Anacondrai Generals."_

_"If you banish yourself." Pythor reminded him with a sneer. "Magic has its rules, you know."_

_Lloyd pushed Pythor's tiny body aside and slammed his hands on the table. "We're not cursing you! We're not losing you to bring_ them _back!"_

_"If we do nothing, we lose Ninjago." Garmadon said._

_"Honey. We don't even know if they'll help." Misako's eyebrows furrowed together._

_"We do know that the real Anacondrai wanted peace as much as us. It was Chen who started both wars." he sighed, scratching at his arm. "I never thought I'd say this, but Pythor is right."_

_The snake smirked, and Lloyd gave him a death glare._

_"I cannot allow this, brother." Wu agreed with Lloyd. "I feel like I just got you back. I can't have you go."_

_"I don't want this either, but there's not enough time for Ninjago. I have to-"_

_"NO!" Lloyd said. "I...I can't lose you! Not again!"_

_"Lloyd." Garmadon said gently, slithering over and placing his human hand on his son's shoulder. "It must be done."_

_Lloyd stared at his father with an expressionless face for a moment, then broke into tears. Garmadon pulled him closer, muffling his son's cries with himself. This carried on for a while._

A pattering of feet kicked up the sand. Lloyd let go of Lily just as the other Ninja arrived, catching her limp body exhausted from the unconscious effort of her powers. She was in their hands now.

Lloyd stared at his father. Garmadon nodded solemnly. He ran to him, meeting him in the middle of the battlefield.

Chen slithered out, his tail dripping blood on the sand. "So, we settle this one-on-one? I'm perfectly fine with that!"

Wu suddenly appeared from the crowd, prompting several warriors to lash out at him. A couple Elemental Masters kept them at bay as he ran towards Chen. From his robes, he pulled out the Book of Spells and flipped to the page Pythor had directed him to. Lloyd put up his fists.

"You're...pah!" Chen began to laugh. "You won't use Dark Magic on me, old man! I know you won't!"

Garmadon held Lloyd's hand firmly, his whole body shaking. The Green Ninja said quietly "I don't want you to go."

"I'll always be with you in your heart. I'm just sitting in a different place." He answered calmly. Then, Garmadon picked up a spear that was lodged in the sand. "Let us fight. Two-on-one. If you're as strong as you say you are, then you'll be able to handle both of us easily."

Chen smiled and motioned for his troops to stand back. The Elemental Alliance stared daggers into them, ready to stop them if they interfered with Garmadon's plan. The two men, once master and student, now enemies in battle. Chen flicked his tongue and reared-

"WAIT!"

Two young anacondrai slithered across the field, going straight to the Elemental Alliance. Several members readied their elements, but Kapau and Chope prostrated themselves in front of the army. "Don't hurt us! We're defecting!"

"Y-yeah! We helped free Lily! We don't wanna be part of this anymore! Please, please! We surrender!"

Karlof cracked his metal knuckles and picked the two snakes up by their necks much like a dog would. He grumbled at them, staring into their souls, and dropped them back into the sand. "No trouble." He warned.

The two friends nodded and hugged each other, happy they could finally abandon the cult.

Chen shrugged, and leapt up to strike Garmadon, who just barely blocked him with his spear. Lloyd grabbed his tail and tried pulling him down.

Wu began to read from the book, his eyes wet. " _Komodo, nicktu, demic tara_."

The two continued to clash. Chen fought like some sort of demented snake, while Garmadon fought like an honorable warrior. Lloyd was somewhere between the two, acting as his father's bodyguard when Chen came too close.

" _Kenji, severus, toto-demada, cursono, neeboro, actu, cursono, neeborro_..." A large portal suddenly opened up yards above Garmadon, making everyone jump in fear.

"THE CURSED REALM?!" Chen shrieked when he saw it, and attempted to slither away. "You're insane!" 

Garmadon took his chance and threw his spear, stabbing Chen in the tail once more, all the way through the ground. "You're not going anywhere!" He snapped at him. Chen tried to pry the spear from his tail, drops of venom leaking from his mouth. Wu continued to speak the words of the spell.

" _Despa, moro-_ "

There was a slicing sound, and a yell.

Wu had been hit in the leg by General Zugu's sword, thrown through the air. He gasped, and fell to the ground. The book skittered into the sand, bumping against Lloyd's foot.

The rest of the Anacondrai Army stared at the scene, at a complete standstill. "WELL? FIGHT!" Zugu yelled at the army. That's when the Elemental Alliance fired everything they had, and Kapau and Chope rallied alongside them.

Lloyd snatched the. book as his father and Chen continued their duel. He sat down beside Wu and thrust the book into his hands. "Uncle Wu! Finish it!"

"I...I can't..." He wheezed. The sword was still stuck in his leg, and his eyes weren't focused. Lloyd glanced at Lily, still unconscious. He began to shake his head, trying to make Wu hold onto the book.

"I can't, Wu. I can't." Lloyd was on the verge of sobbing. Wu took his hand, coughing, and said-

"It will be alright." He smiled, and passed out. Lloyd yelled for him to wake up, but found a little relief when he saw he was still breathing. Lloyd tore off some of Wu's robes to clean up the blood.

Chen and Garmadon had their hands locked together, fighting to keep standing and push the other over. Chen caught eye of Lloyd and Wu, then to the dimming portal above him. "I guess your magic spell won't work now." He chuckled. "Who would ever finish the spell needed-"

" _DESPA, MORO, JORTU_!"

Lloyd stood, knees shaking, but holding the book with his fingers covered in blood. The portal above them grew larger by several sizes. Chen's jaw dropped, and he lost his grip. Garmadon pushed him down into the sand and held him there by the neck. The cultist flailed. "This isn't fair!"

"Then have a taste of your own medicine!"

" _Sono, hokido, bo-rock_!" Lloyd screamed finishing the spell. He dropped the book, tears flowing from hie emerald eyes. Chen screamed in agony. Garmadon allowed green, alien tendrils to grab him, pulling him away into the Cursed Realm. He sighed and took one last look at Lloyd.

"I always yearned to make Ninjago into my own image. But I now know I already have...in you, Lloyd."

Then he was gone.

The green ninja didn't bother to see what happened next. In his place, thousands of Serpentine ghosts appeared. They swarmed over the battlefield like a murder of crows. One in particular stopped in front of Chen, as the cultist began to laugh maniacally. "YOU FOOL! You summoned the strongest warriors to fight for you, but turns out they're gonna fight on our side!"

The Anacondrai spirit grabbed Chen's wrist roughly, and began to drag him up to the portal. The rest of the ghosts did the same to the amassed Army. "Wait! What are you doing? W-we're on the same team!" Chen cried out in confusion.

"You will never be one of us." The ghost said. His voice was deep, and he spoke like a warrior. "Because you are a liar, a cheat, and an imposter!" The Anacondrai actually threw Chen's body into the air with his own strength, where more tendrils caught him and began to pull him inside.

"I can't be cursed! Aah! Save me, Skylor!" Chen screamed helplessly at his daughter, who let the tendrils rip away her scales as if she was shedding anew. In moments she was human again, and turned away from the portal-and her father-for good. The rest of the warriors begged for mercy, but it was too late-one by one they were cursed, gone. Banished.

Kapau and Chope received the same treatment as Skylor, albeit more harshly. They sat on the ground, human, and hugged each other while sobbing. Wether it was from being free or the pain, nobody knew.

Lloyd let his knees fall to the ground, as he cried. The Serpentine that banished Chen floated towards him. "Lloyd Garmadon. I am General Arcturus."

He looked up for a moment, his eyes red and puffy. The Serpentine reached out and wiped one away with a claw, ignoring the pain in his thumb from doing so. "You saved us, Master Lloyd. Because of you, the balance is restored. And because of your father, our spirits can be free. You will have our eternal respect as the greatest warriors to ever battle for Ninjago." He bowed deeply to him. "Thank you."

"What about me?" Pythor came up to Arcturus, bowing deeply.

Arcturus looked at Pythor with visible irritation. "Fine." He snapped his fingers, and Pythor was suddenly his original size again. "You did well." Pythor admired himself for a moment, thanking Arcturus many times, but the general paid him no mind. He, and the rest of the spirits began to fade away. They could finally rest in peace.

"It's over." Skylor said. "The war is over."

Kai and Zane helped their master onto a stretcher, calling for Misako to land the Bounty. Zane carefully pulled out the sword and Kai cauterized the wound with his fire. Jay tried to wake up Lily to heal Wu, but she wasn't responding. Her body had gone through too much shock.

Slowly, everyone began to help their fellow neighbor and nurse their wounds. There were many nasty injuries from the fighting, but nobody lethal casualties were reported (thankfully).

As the bounty sailed back to the city, carrying Ninjago's makeshift army, Skylor found herself staring at the sunset with Kai. She reached out for his hand, and an orange glow ran up her veins. Kai gave her a smile, and she smiled back.

"Are you happy?" He asked.

Skylor thought about it for a moment, then answered, "No. I'm _free_." 

She leaned over slightly and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Kai stumbled back, a little bewildered by this. A hot pink blush appeared on his cheeks, and Skylor laughed. It was the first time she had truly laughed for herself in a long time.


	65. Lycoris Radiata

**(A Day After The War's End)**

Lily opened her eyes, awake from a deep sleep. Suddenly, there was a pressure wrapping around her waist-a pressure coming from Cole's arms.

"Glad to see you back!" Cole said, squeezing her even harder. "We won, Lils!"

"Huh?" She mumbled, still sleepy.

"Chen's gone! We're safe!" Kai smiled and nodded.

Jay gave her a peace sign while Nya knelt down next to her. "You doing okay?"

"I..." Lily trailed off. Memories came flooding back. She remembered the corpse. The blood. Even a little bit of her freakout. Lily allowed a few tears to drop on the bed sheets, as Cole let go to give her a look of concern. Soon enough, she was sobbing _hard_.

Zane reached out and held her hand. "It's alright. We have all experienced what you're feeling." He gently admitted.

Lily looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. She sniffed, and wiped some away. "I didn't mean to kill him...he could have changed, like Chope and Kapau..." She embraced Zane, crying. The nindroid held her close, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"It's not your fault." Kai said bluntly. "You probably think you've done a horrible thing, that you've sinned, but I can promise you it's not that. Don't you dare think your hands are dirty for one second, because they are the cleanest freckled hands I've ever seen."

"But-" Lily started.

"No buts!" Kai said, crossing his arms. "I'm gonna make you believe you've done nothing wrong even if it takes my whole life."

Lily finally let go of Zane, her hand still being held by Cole. She took in a shaky breath, and looked at her family. "A-alright. I...I wanna try getting up." She blinked, and did a headcount. "Wait. Where's Lloyd?"

Jay looked down, and brought a hand to his forehead. "Lloyd's fine, but. Something else happened."

Lily already figured it out. She could feel that Garmadon's spirit had disappeared from this world just like the Anacondrai she killed. She started to cry again, as Cole held her shaking body in his arms.

She wished she could have done something to prevent it. What is God's will?

The Ninja were later informed that Wu was alive, although he would be chair bound until his leg fully healed. The sword had cut into his arteries, and it's a miracle he even survived the way he did. On the day he came home, Misako handed him something from Garmadon.

"A...will?" Jay asked, staring at the parchment Wu held.

"Yes. It seems my brother expected death to take him sooner than we wanted." The younger brother sighed, shifting in his wheelchair. He opened up the paper and read over it.

_This is my will, if I ever die. Knowing my deeds, it won't surprise me if I die before my brother. I only ask that you take care and do what you think is right in your heart._

_To Wu: My land and property. You are free to do what you want with it. Make a tea shop, whatever. Just be happy for once in your life._

_To my wife Misako: I entrust our savings, crops, and all the pretty furniture and items, of course. I love you so much. I hope you've forgiven me._

_To my dearest son, Lloyd: My weapons stash, clothes, and fighting scrolls. They are all yours, and feel free to share them with the ninja. Please don't break them!_

_To the ninja: You have new robes to wear. I made them myself. Take good care of them._

_Stay safe._

_Garmadon_

Wu almost dropped the paper. "He's...the...the whole estate?"

"He did care about you, Wu." Misako said, smiling warmly.

"Woah, Lloyd gets all his cool stuff? Lucky kid!" Jay said, trying to lighten up the room. The others smiled a little at this, but the somber mood returned quickly.

It had been 2 days, and the Green Ninja still hadn't returned from his hike. Lily looked out the window, and wondered where he had wandered off to.

Some time later, Lily and Skylor landed back on ~~Chen's~~ Clover's Island. She let her dragon dissipate and led Kapau and Chope, with their tattoos gone and in normal clothes, to the palace where they would help Clover and finally be free. As soon as her daughter saw her, Clover bounded over on all fours and hugged her mother.

"Mommy! Skylor! I didn't think you'd return so soon! Wait." She peered at Kapau and Chope from over her shoulder. "Why are they here?"

"They're friends. They want to start new, just like you." Lily explained.

The two men waved shyly, and Clover couldn't help but smile. "Alright, checks out. So what happened?" Clover asked, excited. "What did I miss?"

"We beat Chen." Lily said. "We did it!"

"Tell me everything." Clover said. "I wanna know how his face looked when he died."

Lily went silent at that.

Skylor took over from there and proceeded to tell her the whole story. As they talked, Kapau and Chope were accepted into Clover's clan by Subarashī, and Lily finally found her _kama_. When the sun began to set, Lily waved goodbye to her daughter and set off to the mainland with Skylor in tow on her newly unlocked dragon.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Skylor asked Lily.

Lily sighed and watched the ocean waves pass by beneath her. "I...I'm not sure."

The two girls bid goodbye to one another, and Lily returned home. When she opened the door, she expected to see Lloyd, but the house was quiet. She closed the door quietly and went upstairs, _kama_ in hand. Now she was scared.

"Jay." She rapped his door. The Lightning Master opened it, a video game on pause in the background.

"Anything I can do?" He asked, concerned.

"Yes. I'm...I'm gonna go look for Lloyd. Just to make sure he's okay. Are you free to join me?"

Jay snapped his pale fingers, and the TV shut off on it's own. "When it comes to Lloyd's safety, I'm always free."

Footsteps bounded down the hallway, and Kai joined them. He took a moment to catch his breath, putting a finger up. "Did you say you're gonna go look for Lloyd?" He paused again to breathe. "I'm in too."

"Us too." Cole and Zane walked up, holding hands. The nindroid held up a hand and began to count the packable items off on his fingers. Soon enough, the ninja all had packed backpacks and weaponry laid out beside their beds, where they slept in preparation for the next day's quest.

Lily was not as lucky.

Too many times she woke up in a cold sweat, the image of the mangled corpse an afterimage in her eyes. She would try and heal him, but nothing worked. He'd crawl towards her, pleading for her to save him, and every time she would fail. Then his eyes...

_his_ _cold_ ~~dead~~ eyes

The moment she saw the sun was rising, Lily stumbled out of bed and pulled on her gi. It was new-a gift from Garmadon, post-mortem. She could tell it was his stitching, the way the colors were sewn created a beautiful design that could hide as well as stand out. 

She hurried downstairs, and soon enough the other Ninja joined her. Zane brought many bags of uncooked rice for the trip, making his knapsack heavier than everyone else's, so it was a good thing he was made of titanium. Leaving a note, they set out on the pathway.

"Which way do we go?" Jay asked.

"I believe Lloyd went...left." Zane pointed towards the sprawling mountains, which would lead off into a currently unnamed bamboo jungle and the Gentle Cove. It was a wonder why people didn't go there for vacation very often, but the jungle was a harsh and dangerous place if one was not careful. At least, as far as Zane and the others knew.

"Then let's go." Lily said.


	66. Hell Flower

Once again, Lily sat up straight, trying to catch her breath and sweating bullets.

She could still feel the ~~_dead_~~ hand caressing her cheek, the cold scales upon it turning her body into ice. She clutched her travel blanket and sighed, trying to focus on the crackling of the fire instead. Every night, reality seemed less and less likely.

Lily looked around for a moment, seeing her teammates sleeping peacefully. Kai was a messy sleeper, while Cole slept like, well, a rock. Jay was clutching his bag, and Zane was meditating next to him, in a strange trance almost. She hugged her legs to herself, wondering if she wanted to try sleeping again. The sun was rising, after all.

Trying not to wake the others, Lily grabbed the map and stared at it for a moment, wondering which path would be the best for them. There was a long but safe path by the shore, and a shorter path through the bamboo forest. A small mountain village rested to the left of the forest. Lily tilted her head, wondering if the population there made it a viable location for Lloyd to have traveled.

It was the longest and oddest path, but it could work. Lily put the map away and began to cook some rice over the fire. It wasn't long before the others were woken by the smell. Zane opened his eyes and the neon light returned to them. "Good morning." He greeted cheerfully.

Lily nodded her head at him. "I say we go the left path. It's a bit hard to follow, but it leads to a village. Maybe they have intel."

"Well good morning to you too." Kai yawned sarcastically. "Thanks for...burning breakfast?"

Only then Lily realized the rice had cooked for too long and was starting to turn slightly brown. She removed the pot from over the fire and tried blowing on it. "Sorry, I was somewhere else." She apologized.

After they had their fill, the team went on the road again. Cole took Lily's advice and started going up the mountain. Maybe it was easy for him, being the Master of Earth and all that, but Lily had trouble climbing on the ledges and over the multiple cascades of rocks. Soon enough a small tower of smoke began to emerge in their view.

"A bonfire! We're getting close!" Kai said happily. They continued on, eventually reaching a small cliff that they would have to climb up and over. Lily went last, gripping the rock in front of her, trying to cling as hard as she could. Her knuckles turned white.

That's when a sudden clawed hand reached out and sunk it's sharp tips into the back of her palm, holding her against the rock. Lily watched as the corpse rose from above her, growling and mumbling.

" _You...killed...me..._ " It sputtered, blood rolling from its jaw.

Lily scrambled to regain her footing, her fingernails digging into the ledge. She hugged the small cliff face, panting. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. Right?

She managed to rejoin the group, who had discovered a clear path into the village hidden behind a pine tree. It seemed quaint, but was blocked by more fir trees. The only way to see what was inside was to go inside themselves.

Lily looked back at the cliff, trying to regain her composure. Shakily, she took a step and entered the village.

"It's kinda cute!" Cole complimented. The mountainous terrain provided a natural defense, so the laziness of the villagers was expected. Most just relaxed on their front porches, while others were building balconies into the rock above. A small alcove and a cave allowed them a clear look at the seaside ahead.

"I just hope the locals will be helpful." Kai coughed. "Hey, that looks like a place that would see everybody. Let's try there first!" He pointed to a small shop titled "Pawn Coin". It's roof was painted a gentle green, and the sidings made of redwood. Strange. Lily would have expected it to be pine or bamboo like the rest of the housing here. 

The smell of the bonfire burning made her neck grow hot. The inside of the shop was well insulated, which maybe helped for the mountain air but not for Lily's own body temperature. She stepped inside, careful to mind the shelves positioned so close to the entrance. There were a lot of odd baubles scattered on them.

The floor was bamboo weaving, and clearly old. It was stained with a multitude of products-bleach, tea, coffee, blood. Lily shook her head and re-identified the stain as a grapeberry that had fallen to the floor. Lily almost backed into a display stand showing different kinds of throwing stars, which Zane was also admiring deeply.

"Hello! How may I help you all?" A tired but happy voice rang out. "Hang on, I'll be with you in a sec." Somebody emerged from below the counter, dusting off a red bamboo hat. He fit it upon his head and smiled at the group. "Name's Loan."

Loan had a pair of darkened glasses on his face that obscured his eyes just enough to make somebody curious. He wore a green robe and had sandals that made loud sounds against the floor. His arm was heavily bandaged.

"Uh, we were wondering if you've seen anybody." Cole began. "We're looking for a young man, 'bout yay high, with blonde scraggly hair and a green gi?"

Loan put a finger to his scruffy chin. "Hmm...sounds kinda familiar." He then noticed Zane, still in the back with the shurikens. The nindroid had picked one up and was examining it. "Careful, sir! Those are sharp and delicate! Wouldn't want you cutting yourself with one."

Zane put it down and rounded the corner, in full view of Loan. "Sorry. Although I doubt they would do much against my metal skin." He flexed his fingers, servos making noise as he did so.

Loan's jaw dropped. He readjusted his glasses. "A...nindroid?"

"Guess they don't see much up here, huh?" Jay whispered to Lily, who shrugged half-heartidly.

"I...uh..." Loan cleared his throat. "Well, it's nice to finally meet one. Uh-"

"Daddy, daddy!" A shrill voice called from a door leading to the back. It swung open with such force some items rattled on the walls. "Did you say you found another nindroid?!"

"Sweetie!" Loan picked up the screamer, revealed to be a little girl of maybe 5 years. She had his same hair color and a big smile. "You know daddy said to stay in the back when he's with customers."

"Wait, did you say another?" Kai asked. "I thought Zane was the first one you've ever met."

"Met and seen are two different things." Loan said, putting the little girl back on the floor. "Now if you would excuse me for a moment-" He walked to the back of the store, his daughter in tow.

The ninja were quiet. "I don't trust the guy." Jay mumbled. Cole elbowed him.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover."

"I've already read the first chapter and I don't like it!" Jay protested, earning another jab. Lily sighed, and turned around to find a wall of items. It ranged from gold forks to globs of amber ore to a snake jaw. Lily watched it with intensity, her skin growing pale white.

"Like...what you see?" It rattled. Lily gasped and stepped back, only to crush something against her foot. She looked down and saw human skulls scattering the bamboo floor-no, a sandy ground. The jaw continued to talk to her. "Don't leave so soon. We have so much to catch up on!" With every word, a drop of blood began to run from its fangs. Soon enough it was pouring like a waterfall.

"L-leave me alone." She said softly, scared to speak up. The jaw responded with a laugh, and multiple snake heads began to emerge from the sand, shaking the dirt from their eyes crookedly. They had no jaws at all, and their necks were angled the wrong way.

"Killer!" The jaw screeched, and Lily screamed, her own hands covered in blood.

She turned and ran into Cole, tripping over him and causing the two to tumble and knock over another display stand. Multiple colored glasses dropped to the floor and broke, coloring the bamboo like an odd rainbow. Cole groaned from under Lily's weight.

"Lily!" Zane knelt down to help the two ninja up. "Cole! Are you two alright?"

"That's what you should be asking Lily." Cole said. "Lily, what happened?"

Before she could answer him, Loan returned. He stared at the mess for a moment, and sighed. His face was weary, as if this wasn't the first time. "You break it, you buy it.

"We don't have any money..." Jay swallowed.

Loan let out another long sigh. "Fortunately," He crossed his arms. "I accept cash, credit, and work."

"What kinda work are we talking about?" Kai asked, getting more frustrated by the moment.

"You come with me to do a little work down in the forest, and I'll tell you where I last saw your friend. Do we have a deal?"

Lily put her face in her hands and let out a small sob.


	67. Spider Lily Bulbs

Before, the komorebi seemed calming. Now, Lily had to stick a hand up to keep it from blinding her face. She and the others followed Loan on a small path down the mountain, one Lily had wished she'd known about before.

Zane walked next to her, staring intently at Loan. He was muttering something about bamboo wood and how expensive it really should be.

"Zane? Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

Zane shook his head. "I'm functioning fine. It's just...his voice. It's familiar somehow."

Loan stopped at the foot of the mountain, where the path met the bamboo forest. "A'ight! Bamboo is hard to cut and very dangerous to harvest. But it's also vital in a lot of furnishings. I need each of you to cut down three trees, _cleanly_ , and you'll have paid."

"But Lily was the one who-" Jay's complaint was interrupted by Kai's hand covering his mouth.

Loan tossed them a couple saws and sat down. Lily sighed and went to work.

Cutting bamboo down was really hard. Hours swam by. Lily had managed to cut down 2 stalks, and was working heartily on the third.

"So, uh..." Cole shrugged, trying to make conversation with Loan for the millionth time. "Who's the wife? Or husband?"

"My wife is Pauline." Loan answered. "She gifted me with a couple gremlins."

"That's, uh, nice..." Cole cleared his throat and caught the falling bamboo trunk before it could fall on the others. "So why haven't I heard of this little town before?"

"Well, we like to stay out of the way. So many end of the world scenarios happening, ya know? Just doin' my job, when all of a sudden Serpentine and rock men and machines are attacking. So I said, 'I want a fresh start'. That's when-"

Loan was interrupted by a sudden blast of ice knocking him to the ground. He coughed and shivered, snow in his hair.

Zane stood to the right, panting and his hand smoking from the dry ice covering it.

"Zane? What the heck?!" Cole ran over and tried to pull his hand down, but Zane's superior strength prevented it.

"I remember now. I know why I have such a bad feeling around you. Your voice..." Zane let out a deep, guttural growl. "You're the man who sold me and PIXAL to Chen!" He screamed.

Everyone went absolutely silent, and stared at Loan.

"...What is he talking about?" Kai slowly asked.

"Sold-" Loan sputtered, not sure how to take this information. "No, of course not!" His face was screaming " _what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-these-people?!_ "

"My memories serve correct!" Zane thrashed in Cole's grip. The Earth Master used all his strength just to keep the Ice Ninja at bay.

"Look, nindroid, whatever you may think, it wasn't me." The man got up and dusted ice off his pants. "Can you kindly not ice me again?"

"Zane, this can't be that guy, right?" Kai shrugged. "I'm sorry, but it seems a little too convenient."

"Probably one of Chen's thugs that sounded like him?" Cole suggested, still holding onto Zane. Lily stared into her open palm, and then at Zane. The nindroid didn't take his gaze off of Loan, and his gaze was one of death.

"Let me see into his memories." She said. "Th-then we'll know if it's a lie or not."

"Good idea!" Jay agreed.

Loan laughed nervously. "You're...what? She's what now?"

"Don't worry, Lily does this all the time." Jay reassured him. "You'll be fine, I'm sure."

Lily took off her glove and clasped Zane's metal hand.

_Zane couldn't see much with his blindfold on. He was lost, and scared. He felt himself being thrown onto the ground at a place with wooden docks. Somebody was next to him, and they sounded scared. He wanted to say it was going to be alright, but he couldn't move._

_"Here you go. One big, metal bait-line. And some scrap metal on the side." A voice eerily similar to Loan's said._

_Clouse's voice was unmistakable. "Thank you, kind sir." There was a shifting of metal, and something was dropped next to Zane. "You will be rewarded handsomely."_

_"Just doing my job. Ah, that reminds me." There was scuffling, and whining from something young and living. "I found this too. Wasn't really sure what to do with it."_

_"Ah, a Serpentine youngling. Too bad she seems injured. I'll take her for a hundred more."_

_"Deal." There was a little laughter. "But this is it. After this, I want a fresh start."_

Lily let go of Zane's hand and glared at Loan. Her eyes faintly shone with power, and she curled her fingers into a fist.

"You sold my baby girl." She said darkly.

"What?" Loan titled his head.

The others gasped, and quickly got out their weapons. Lily's fist began to glow and she readied it into a punch. They started walking towards Loan, each step the more menacing. The accused man adjusted his hat and put his hands up defensively. "What are you doing?"

She was going to make him suffer. "You sold Zane, PIXAL, and CLOVER!" Lily sobbed. "YOU SOLD MY FRIEND! YOU SOLD MY BABY TO THAT MADMAN!"

"Is this true?" Jay asked. "Did you sell my friends? My teammates?!" His voice rose higher and higher with each accusation.

"Woah, you're making a big mistake!" Loan began walking backwards through piles of leaves. The ninja followed slowly. "We can just forget about this and move on thataway!" He pointed behind them all.

None of them fell for the trick. "So you did do it! You sold my boyfriend!" Cole screamed at him. "What kind of person just sells living beings like that?!"

Loan scowled. "I said, you're making a mistake. Not too late to turn back." He stopped walking, standing in place.

Kai blinked, and let out a soft chuckle, turning his sword over in his hand. "You really think-"

Loan kicked something on the ground and the leaves were suddenly yanked out below them, revealing a massive hole. Lily grabbed the edge with inhuman speed, and the others managed to hold onto each other by their feet. All of them were hanging downwards in a dangling ninja ladder. Lily looked up and saw a net covered in moss and leaves, and Loan staring over them. Something below them, in the depths of the hole, made an inhuman sound.

"Watch your grip. There's something fierce down there." He pointed to the bottom of the hole. Lily's face beaded with sweat as she supported the weight of all her friends hanging onto her. She did manage to snatch her grappling hook from her belt and tried to toss it at Loan, but he simply sidestepped. It landed on a rock some meters away from them. Loan smiled, amused. "This could have been so easy. You could have just walked away. Forgetting this ever happened."

"How could you do something like that?!" Lily yelled up at him. The sound grew closer, and she recognized it as a growl.

Loan sighed. "Because I needed the money. You wouldn't understand. Your friend is more than worth it compared to what I may have in store for me!" His aura seemed to shrink, and for a moment he looked around, worried somebody was watching them.

Lily scrabbled at the edge of the cliff, her grappling hook scraping the rock. "Who are you then?! Really?!"

The man tipped his hat. "Name's Ronin. And I'm sorry, but we won't be seeing each other again soon."

Tentacles lashed out from the bottom of the hole, wrapping themselves around the ninja. Kai screamed and slashed them apart with his swords, slamming the blades into the rock. Zane blasted the creature with ice, making it scream painfully.

"Come on!" Cole reached for a nearby ledge. "We'll hafta climb!"

"Hopefully faster than those arms can snatch us!" Jay whimpered. On cue, a rather large one slammed on the wall of the hole, almost making Jay fall. He hung from the ledge, screaming in fear and trying to regain his hold again.

Zane used his Ice to create better grips for himself. Kai and Lily climbed using their blades, while Cole ended up carrying Jay himself. Grunting, the Earth Ninja emerged at the top and tossed Jay off his back ungracefully. Narrowly dodging the tentacles, the other three ninja also came out alive but not unscathed.

Lily brandished her kama and looked around for Ronin. She wanted to cut him. To kill him. No, no. Make him suffer. He was the reason her baby had gone through so much, the reason she couldn't find her. He was the reason Zane was gone, and PIXAL was dismantled. Lily wanted to show him the same trauma in return.

But he was gone.

They returned to the town only to find the house completely empty. No furniture or children. Not even a demanding wife, wondering where her husband had gone. Lily punched the wall of the house, letting out a scream.


	68. Short Stem

Lloyd exhaled, enjoying the smell of the sea as he meditated above the coast, on a small cliff. This was the perfect way to relieve some stress from all the recent events. As much as he loved his family, he needed some time to himself.

The Green Ninja stood up and began to practice tai chi. He pulled up a guide on his phone and followed the steps, allowing himself to just exist and forget all the problems of the world. The weight was lifted slightly from his back, as if God Himself had come down to pick up the pieces of Lloyd's shattered reality.

"I matter..." Lloyd said. "I am here. The world loves me and I love the world."

The waves crashed gently along the sand. The smell of the sea hit his nose, and Lloyd felt calmer. He sat down and resumed his initial meditation pose.

"Lloyd?"

His emerald eyes snapped open. Lloyd looked up to see a group of rainbow-colored people on the path leading above him, desperate and searching. He sighed in annoyance. He had forgotten to leave them a note after all.

Oh well. He did feel a lot better.

Lloyd packed up his things and went to greet them. "Guys?"

"LLOYD!" Kai ran to him, hugging him and patting his shoulders. "We were so worried! We've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Yeah, uh, sorry." Lloyd swallowed. "I just needed some time alone." The smell of Kai's hair gel was starting to irritate his nose. "Can you let go, please?"

"Right, right, sorry." Kai freed Lloyd from his grasp and gave him a soft smile. But Lloyd saw something else behind it...rage? Sadness? Both? Neither were directed at him, hopefully.

"What happened?" Lloyd asked.

An uncomfortable silence followed. He saw Lily looked away, tears in her eyes.

Zane answered the question. "We found the man who kidnapped me, PIXAL, and Clover. We were sold to Chen by a con-man named Ronin."

Lloyd ignored the sound of his phone's screen cracking against the rocks as it fell from his open palm. He stared, open-eyed, at his friend. "Zane...did...did you...?"

"No. He got away. None of us know where he is."


	69. Balsam

Lloyd admired the statue of his father that was currently being put into place at the legendary Corridor of Elders, where Chen had camped out with his army. He sipped his tea, and smiled thoughtfully as tears rolled down his cheeks.

He still missed him, everyday.

The Green Ninja looked skywards, his blonde locks whipping around in the wind. The Bounty flew overhead, ready for a pickup.

Ever since Garmadon's bequeathing of his land to Wu, the younger of the brothers tried his best to finish the students' training. It was a long and arduous effort, but the students graduated as able fighters worthy of the highest titles (in Wu's opinion, at least). He saw there was no more use for the training house, as his brother was no longer there to use it, and had it deconstructed. In it's place, he built a tea shop, hoping to start anew.

As heartbreaking as it was to lose Garmadon, Lloyd and the other ninja found it in their hearts to move on. Zane and Cole continued to let their newfound relationship grow without making PIXAL a third wheel. Speaking of PIXAL, both she and Zane had to learn how to cooperate as two minds in a single body, which wasn't entirely difficult. But Zane was often found completely silent, simply fighting over a decision with PIXAL in his head.

Kai wasn't dating Skylor, exactly, but the two were certainly interested in each other. Lloyd would catch glimpses of Kai on the phone with her, asking about business and blushing whenever she spoke. Occasionally he'd ask if she wanted to go somewhere, but the Amber Master would always decline, stating she had lots of work to do. A dejected Kai would nod and quickly switch to another topic.

Jay and Nya were slowly drifting away, anyone could see it. As much as one of them tried to regain the relationship they once had, it would never seem to click the way it used to. All the recent events had soured their feelings for one another, and they silently decided to just keep things at a distance for the time being; much to Jay's complete understanding and total displeasure.

All that was left was Lily. Lloyd's worry for his girlfriend had increased over the last few weeks. Although she'd greet him with a smile and say "everything's fine", Lloyd could see in her eyes something was wrong, something had happened. But whenever he'd try to bring it up, she'd dodge the question. But Lloyd could see the circles under her eyes. She was losing sleep over her problem.

 _She's probably still guilty over the death of that one soldier,_ Lloyd had concluded.

It wasn't the first time somebody he knew had to suffer from this. Even the other Ninja had been forced to kill before, in fierce battles where lives had been on the line. Of course it muddled with their inner morals, but in the end they each accepted it as a part of war. Nya, too, came to understand this once she became Samurai X. The brutal reality of their situation.

The harsh fact that not every enemy could be stopped alive.

But deep down, Lloyd knew the truth. He knew that despite everyone knowing it wasn't her fault, that it was a complete accident, an act of defense, it couldn't change the fact she was forced to live with the knowledge of casualties for the rest of her life.

He looked down at his hands. Lloyd wasn't sure if he had ever caused a direct casualty before. Truly, he had no idea what Lily was feeling. It...hurt, knowing he couldn't understand what she was going through.

The Bounty had descended, the ensuing force from the jets making Lloyd close an eye in irritation. He held an arm over his face and stepped aboard the ship, clutching his teacup tightly. Nya greeted him, asking how he was.

"Doing better." He answered.

"That's good." Nya grinned at him like a kitten. "I'm glad."

Lloyd descended into the depths of the ship. Although it had been a while since they received the new Bounty, it still felt new and strange. _So much had happened I never really got a chance to look around,_ Lloyd supposed. He ducked under a loose beam that had yet to be fixed and knocked on the door to the woman's quarters.

"Just a minute," Lily's voice rang out.

Loud footsteps bounded, and she opened the door. Her smile was glimmering, her cheeks dotted with freckles gained from her adventures. Multiple lavender scars peeked out from under her gi. "Hey, babe." Her gaze softened. "Doing alright?"

"Yeah, thanks." Lloyd stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "But that's what I wanted to ask you."

Lily scoffed with amusement, turning back to her desk. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine!"

Lloyd wasn't convinced. He stood firm, crossing his arms. "Despite the fact you had to let Clover go? Or that you were imprisoned by Chen's army?"

Lily shrugged. "Oh please, I've been to space." She closed a book titled "Okinawa-te", moving it aside. "Life happens."

"...What about the fighting?"

"We fight all the time." She turned, leaning back against the chair. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Lloyd sighed. He wasn't going to sugarcoat it anymore. "The casualty. The Anacondrai you punched."

Lily stiffened, and her eyes glowed an ominous violet for a moment. The wood beneath her fingers cracked, breaking the back of the chair. She tilted her head, smiling. "I...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do." Lloyd moved closer to her. "Lily, you can't keep suffering like this. You can-"

"I'm fine." Despite her calm demeanor, her veins continued to faintly glow with power as they always did whenever she used her element. Lily let out a small laugh. "You don't need to waste your time worrying about that. I'll move on."

"You won't move on when you keep bottling it up!" Lloyd raised his voice. "Lily, please. I love you, and I'm not going to just stand here while you tear yourself apart inside."

Lily stared at him, her hands twitching. "Lloyd..." Her smile dissipated. "I..."

"It's not just me. Everyone is worried about you. You just won't let us help you. Part of moving on is opening yourself up to help." Lloyd took a deep breath and sighed. "Believe me, I know. I just lost my dad."

Tears welled up in Lily's eyes. "I didn't...I didn't want to..."

"Be a burden?" Lloyd finished for her. "Well, we're all family. We shoulder problems together." He wrapped his arms around her tightly, as Lily began to cry.

"I'm so sorry!" She wept.

"Just tell me what's been going on."

She pulled away from his hug, wiping her tears on her sleeve. "I've...I've been having nightmares." She stared into the void for a moment. "Seeing apparitions. It's like everywhere I go, I'm never alone. I feel like his soul is following me, tormenting me. It's out of my control."

"But you're also the Master of Soul!" Lloyd said. "If anyone can control this, it's you. And I-" He took her hands, "-Am gonna be there every step of the way."

"Everyone!" The ship's intercom rang out, interrupting the two. "Uh, sorry to annoy, but a ship just sent out a distress signal. Something about a giant fish terrorizing a village. I think it's worth checking out, so everyone get ready for a possible battle!"

Lloyd smirked. "Fighting a giant fish?" He chuckled. "For once, that's actually a first. We're on it, Nya!"

Lily gripped his hand, nodding.


	70. Red Primrose

_Let's fight a giant fish, he said._

_It'll be_ fun _, he said._

Lily spat out aquarium water. The giant fang-fish, mutated from eating Nindroid leftovers in the ocean, sat sedated in a giant tank ready for transport. It wasn't enough that she was almost eaten just trying to catch the thing, it had to spitefully splash them with water from the tank it was dropped in. She stared eye-to-eye with the fish, her face twitching with anger.

"At least it's clean water, right?" Jay laughed, his hair standing up from the contact. Bits of electrical bolts spazzed around his body, reacting to the liquid.

"Not with that thing in there it isn't." Lily muttered. She was absolutely soaked, and all she could smell was rotting fish. A shower was definitely in order. She groaned, and saw from the corner of her eye Lloyd and Kai. They were discussing something quietly, and Kai grabbed Lloyd playfully, rubbing his hair and making it a mess.

In a bittersweet way, they reminded Lily of herself and her own brother, Alder. Oh, how she missed him. Lily's mouth curled up into a small smile, pleasant memories filling her mind.

"Hey, you gonna get in the photo?" Cole nudged her. Lily snapped her head towards him, nodding in response.

"Y-yeah! Of course!"

She shuffled into the crowd. Lloyd and Kai quickly hopped in beside them. A man held up the polaroid, finger raised over the button.

"Back, back just a little further." Zane pressured him.

The camera-man stepped back twice, and repositioned the camera.

"Just a little further." Zane urged.

The camera-man rolled his eyes and stepped back once more, only to go one foot too far and fall off the docks. With a flash and a yelp, he and polaroid fell straight into the water. Everyone looked in shock as the picture printed fast enough to float above the water, fluttering and landing in front of the team. Lloyd picked it up to reveal a blurry and blackened shot of the group. Only the fang-fish was clearly visible.

"Great." Jay groaned. "Now who'll believe us?"

"Considering we saved the world from skeletons, giant snakes, a big dragon of darkness, nindroids, and cultists, I'd say we've got a good alibi." Kai said hopefully. "What's a fish to all that?"

" _Ī shiten ne_." Lloyd murmured. "Anyway, it's gonna be noon soon. Who's up for lunch?"

The group cheered and re-summoned their dragons, soaring into the sky. Lily tightened the reins around her own. It was so strange to have such and easy way of travel. It was so weird to know this dragon was made from her own element.

They arrived rather spectacularly at Steep Wisdom. The quaint area of land gave Lily a feeling of refreshment, and the tea tree orchard waved softly in the wind. Mountains of rice farms stretched beyond them, and the freshly laid brick road swirled into a little courtyard. Which, in turn, led to a small teahouse with a smoking chimney.

Meanwhile, Wu had just returned from watering the tea plants, carrying a heavy bucket. Nya burst out of the shop, running to catch the old master. "Let me help you with that!"

She reached for the bucket, but Wu tossed it into the air with insane efficiency, catching it easily with his other hand. Nya tried reaching for it again, and he sidestepped her before spinning out of her reach. Without even looking at her, he glared something furious.

"I'm old, not weak." He told her, irritation touching the edges of his tone. He caught sight of the colorful dragons swooping down to land in the shop's courtyard.

Lily's feet hit the stone, her dragon dissipating into lavender smoke the moment. The smell of matcha filled her nostrils, and she sighed heavily. Tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear, Lily went to greet Wu and the others. "Sensei!"

"Ah, Lily, it's good to see you again." He smiled under his white beard. It had turned a more platinum color than when Lily first met him. Despite his immense prowess, Wu had gotten old, and he was tired of fighting.

Lily looked at the finished teahouse, and sighed almost regretfully. "It's beautiful," She tilted her head, and looked behind her at the great landscape. "But how are we going to find customers this far out in the open?"

"I was just saying that!" Nya yelled from behind Wu.

"Good things come to those who wait." He said gently, leaving Lily to her own doings. Nya walked up beside her, muttering something.

Lily turned. "Are you okay, Nya?" She asked.

She shrugged. "Try starting a small business in the middle of nowhere."

Lily had a feeling that wasn't the real problem. She reached out to touch Nya's shoulder and ask her what was really wrong, but Kai ran over and interrupted them. "Nya! You have to hear about what we did!"

Nya forced a smile. "Of course! Tell me all about it."

As Kai launched into an exaggerated tale, Lily's eyebrows furrowed. She wasn't the only one hiding her true feelings too, it seemed. Although she had sworn off doing so, Lily wanted to look into Nya's mind and read her emotions-

The door to the tea shop suddenly kicked open, and Wu stomped out carrying two boxes in each hand. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm tired of waiting." He slammed the boxes on the ground in front of the team, startling them. "Ninja, you need to find customers." While he spoke, he opened one of the boxes, with piles of fliers waited inside.

Jay scoffed at the gesture, crossing his arms. "No 'hello, how's it going, glad to hear you saved the day...again'?" His baby blue eyes glanced down at the boxes, and curiosity peaked his interest. "Hey...watcha got in the other one?"

"Sensei." Cole put a hand up in front of Jay. "We're all a bit tired. You mind if we handle this tomorrow?"

"We all have a share if this business succeeds." Wu said, shaking his head. "How else do you expect me to be able to afford all your new uniforms? Which reminds me, your new ones arrived." He kicked one of the boxes open, revealing a pile of shirts.

 _Was it under the shirts?_ Lily thought.

Wu picked one up and threw it to Zane, who caught it with his usual dexterity. He folded it open, staring at it. "Those do not appear to be gi of any sort." He blinked, scanning it again. "They resemble work attire."

"Very observant, Zane." Wu said with a touch of sarcasm. "We must focus on furthering brand awareness. And here are the fliers I want each of you to pass out in the city."

Any excitement the Ninja had disappeared with a visible poof. Jay leaned back, his arms dragging across the pavement. "Ugh, If I have to pass all these out, _I_ may be the one passed out!"

Kai stepped forward and picked out one of the shirts. It was an off-white, with the logo of the shop on them. "Aren't we going to look kind of dorky flying up on our Power Dragons with these things on?"

"You won't be flying on anything." Wu corrected him. "We're selling tea, not magic. Besides, you all have been relying a little too heavily on your powers lately. _Real_ power come from the inside." He began to hand out small teal hats to go with the uniform. They resembled little tea-pots, and looked quite ridiculous. Lily narrowed her violet eyes as she turned one around in her fingers.

"It would be our honor, Sensei." Lloyd said, trying to be happy about the situation. But as soon as the hat fell into his waiting hands, his face fell too.

"Well go on, let me see how you look." Wu waved his hand at the shirts. Everyone groaned, grabbing one and putting it on over their suits. Once they each gingerly adjusted the little hat, Wu smiled with enthusiasm. "You look fantastic!"

Nya stifled a laugh.

"I'm not wearing this." Lily began to take off her stupid cap. "Most stores with mascots don't sell well anyway!"

"I never asked, Lily." Wu brought out his staff and hit her lightly in the gut with it. She let out a small squeal. "If you don't find us customers, you know you won't be getting any of the pay." And with that, he turned around and walked into the store with a laughing Nya, leaving the Ninja to stand awkwardly in their "uniforms".

"Ah, screw this." Jay said, facing away from the shop. "No money is worth this joke!"

"Maybe it won't be that bad." Zane offered a brighter side to the situation. "Maybe people will think we're silly enough to come!"

"Or hopeless enough." Cole suggested.

Just then, Misako came running out of the store. "Lloyd! I just got a call from the museum."

Lloyd snapped to attention. "What's up?"

"There's been a break-in."

Lloyd looked down at his clothes and sighed. "Guys, I am so sorry."

"It's okay, do what you gotta do." Cole nodded, smiling. "I'll take your share."

Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief, taking the hat off. "Thanks, I owe you big time." He began to tug off his shirt, the mess of cloth making his hair stand up in different directions. Throwing it into the box, Lloyd went over to Lily and gave her a small kiss. "I'll be back in a jiff."

"Aren't you going to kiss your mother goodbye too?" Misako asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Lloyd stopped in his tracks, wincing as the others laughed. " _Mom_ , we've...we've talked about this. I'll catch you on the way back." He turned and waved. "See ya."

As Lloyd bounded down the stone road and summoned his dragon, Lily had no idea this would be the last time she'd see him for a while.


	71. Yellow Tulip

"Take it... Why won't you take the flier? JUST TAKE THE FLIER!" Jay crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and threw it at the passerby, missing with magnificence.

It had been a good 15 minutes since they drove down, and so far the closet thing they got to sales was a few looks of pity. Lily's eye twitched, and her arm was starting to hurt she'd held it out for so long.

"I'm really thinking. Maybe if we use our powers, we can get this over with." Cole said to Zane. The android groaned and put a hand on Cole's shoulder.

"Cole." Zane smiled warmly. "You know I love you. But Sensei gave us _strict_ instructions not to use our Elemental Powers."

"Well, Sensei's not here, and what he doesn't know-" As the Earth Ninja argued, Zane frowned politely. Cole's voice trailed off. "Okay, fine, no powers." He glanced around, and saw Kai on the ground, poking at the dirt.

Kai looked up and saw Cole staring at him. "What? I'm bored."

"Do something interesting."

"I am doing something interesting! Moreso than these fliers."

"No, I mean..." Cole motioned to Kai's hands. The Fire Ninja blinked, then smiled.

"Oh, I get it now." Kai stood up and threw a blast of fire into the air.

Several people stopped walking and stared, pointing at the floating flame. Cole grinned, and Zane glared at him. "Kai! Sensei said we can't use our powers!"

"Your advice may work on me, but not on fireball over there." Cole said, laughing. Zane scowled this time, irritated at the loophole his boyfriend found.

The fireball split like a cell, and it grew into a tea-pot symbol. Kai spread his hands in glamour. "Steep Wisdom! The hottest place in town! Grab a flier!"

A few people came up and took several. Kai raised an eyebrow and looked over at Zane, who scoffed and looked away. "I won't be a part of this."

"Me next!" Jay's hands crackled and he hit the ground. With a crack of thunder everyone's hair stood up and all the nearby signs displayed an ad for Steep Wisdom. Jay did a little dance and posed. "Shocking, ain't it? Get your energy at Steep Wisdom!"

This time, even more people took the fliers, and many of the teens were taking pictures. 

"Go on, what can you do?" An onlooker asked Lily.

She put down her fliers and laughed nervously. She looked back at an irritated Zane and thought for a moment.

She didn't want to make a bad example. She liked her Sensei.

"Who needs powers?" She did an exaggerated shrug. "Just believe in yourself!" Lily did a few flips, and a couple spins. She landed on top of a bench, and posed dramatically. "Steep Wisdom! It's good for the soul!"

The crowd cheered for the three Ninja. Lily shrugged and smiled. She didn't even have to use her powers to wow the crowd. From the corner of her eye, Zane relaxed slightly.

As the crowd continued to clap and collect fliers, she noticed something...odd, in the crowd. It wasn't human. It's neck was twisted at an inhuman angle.

_No, no, not now. Not again..._

Somebody screamed.

A slice of pain went through Lily's chest. Her vision went white and she yelped, staggering backwards. Clutching her chest, Lily fell off the bench and crashed into the stack of fliers, sending them sprawling through the streets. The people watching the show gasped in concern.

"Woah woah, Lily!" Cole ran over to her, Kai, Jay, and Zane in tow. "Lily! Lily, are you okay?"

"My head..." She gasped. "I can't...I can't see." It took her a moment to readjust her eyes to the world around her. No ghost. Just her friends. What had happened?

Something inside her felt...wrong. Like something had disappeared. She gripped her shirt, coughing. Had her hallucinations gotten that bad?

"Let's call it quits for today." Jay helped her up. "Hey...where did my ads go?"

They all looked up. Surely, the screens had reverted to whatever mundane messages they were displaying before. Kai's little fire trick was also gone, only smoke in it's place. The wind blew ominously, scattering what was left of their fliers.

"I sense something isn't right." Zane said. "Come on, we should head back to Steep Wisdom." He stepped aside and tried summoning his dragon, but not even that would work.

"Something is wrong with our powers." Cole realized. "We have to tell Sensei." He fished a bus token from his pocket. "Come on, we'll go back the way we came."

Painful convulsions racked Lily's body. Kai held her hand as she grit her teeth, trying to get through it. Each one was like a heartbeat. Her chest felt like it was being penetrated with glass shards, and her ears rung. Something was trapped, it it was trying to get out.

She cursed under her breath once the bus finally reached it's destination. They stumbled off and into the tea shop. Zane kicked the door open, yelling for his master. It wasn't long before the loud, worried voices of the ninja filled the room. Misako, who was behind the counter, put a finger to her lips.

"Boys, not so loud." She gestured to a mother and her daughter, clutching ripe teabags." Can't you see we have our first customer?"

Upon seeing Jay, the little girl's eyes lit up. She toddled over and grabbed on his arm, making the Blue Ninja jump. "Wow, the real Ninja! Can, can you shock me?"

Jay glanced around the shop, and gently took the child's hand off his wrist. "Not now kid, sorry. Misako, have you seen Wu?" He added in a low whisper.

She pointed to the back. Wu opened the door right then, carrying a bag marked "lavender". It wasn't long before he was hassled by his students.

"Wu! We were getting the word out," Kai began. "And we were using our powers."

"Using your powers?!" That was the only coherent part of the sentence Wu could understand. "I thought I told you-"

Jay interrupted him before he could finish. "I know, I know, we're terrible students and worse listeners, but they've up and vanished! What happened to them?!"

Lily leaned against the counter. "I feel sick." Misako offered her a kind touch of a hand, and Lily gave her a small smile.

The little girl began to tug on Zane's uniform. Wu put a finger to his beard and thought for a moment. "If something has disrupted your powers...then that means something has happened to Lloyd."

"Wait, he isn't back?" Cole asked.

Wu shook his head.

The wind outside began to blow so strongly the little shoppe creaked and groaned from the force. The door opened, and Nya came in, shutting it tight. "Quite a storm whipping up out there." Leaves scattered the floor, having snuck in alongside the Samurai.

"Storm?" Jay repeated. "What storm? I don't feel anything going on out there."

The old sensei handed his bag to Kai and opened the doors. A gust of air forced everyone to cover their eyes, and the hanging plants rattled. The Master's tired eyes narrowed, and he pulled out his staff.

"I know that wind." Wu murmured. He focused on a figure in the distance, somebody with a tattered coat. "Misako, would you be kind enough to escort our customers out?"

"Of course." Misako ushered the two girls to their van, the wind whipping her grey braid around like a leaf.

The figure had come close enough they could be made out. A shorter than average young man, with an athletic build and a green ninja's uniform. He tore the hood from his face, and Lloyd's familiar blonde hair trickled out. Strangely, the wind didn't seem to affect it.

"Oh, Lloyd, thank God!" Kai said, smiling in relief. "We could really use you right now, there's this weird wind-"

"Step aside." He said. Over the howling of the sky, his voice sounded...deeper.

Lily's power whispered something to her, and she went stiff. "That's not him."

"Maybe he went through puberty?" Jay shrugged.

He stared at them with dull green eyes. "I said, move."

Alarms went off in Lily's head. _He looks like him, but it's not him. I can sense his presence, but it's not him. I can see his eyes, but they aren't his eyes. Those are his lips, but that voice is not his. That wind is too powerful to be just a storm. That isn't Lloyd. Somebody is using him, as a twisted vessel._ Lily used a little of her power to force her insides to stay still. She made herself walk forward. "What do you want?!"

He looked at her emptily. "I just want a word with your master." His voice sounded like somebody barely holding back anger, like somebody who was inches from their goal and couldn't bear to wait another second.

Cole frowned. "What's gotten into him?"

"I sense some kind of foreign entity has taken over his body." Zane said quietly. "So the question isn't what, but _who_ 's gotten into him?"

"I felt it too." Lily agreed with Zane. "Who are you? Why are you using Lloyd?!"

The entity cracked Lloyd's neck to the side and smiled. A haunting laugh began to grow in volume over the wind.

Kai's hands curled into fists, and he threw off his stupid little hat. "Alright. Whoever you are, whatever beef you had with Sensei, you have with us. Give us back our friend!" He put a foot forward.

Lloyd, no, whoever they were, reached out with a single hand. A wave of air unlike anything Lily had ever experienced fell over them. Her ears popped, her eyes teared up. The pressure seemed to increase steadily, and in no time everyone was on their knees.

"That's better." It chuckled. "Now if you please." It clasped Lloyd's hands together and then swung his arms out in either direction. In moments, the Ninja were tossed in either direction, their bodies slamming into rocks, trees, and nearby structures. Cole was unfortunate enough to hit the windmill, groaning loudly from the pain.

Lily opened her eyes, watching as that...thing....used Lloyd's body to enter the shop. With a snap of his fingers, the wind shut the doors, and locked them tight.

She made herself stand, ignoring the screaming pain. She wasn't going to just let this happen. Staggering her way to the doors, she made it just in time for wu and Nya to rush out, the old man hastily clutching his staff. Nya attempted to grab Lily and tug her along. "Come on, we need to get to the barn!"

"I'm can't just leave him!" Lily argued.

"I second that!" Kai ran up beside her. "I'm not leaving him behind!"

"Kai..." Nya's gaze softened. Then her eyes widened, and she pointed behind her brother. "Kai! Behind you!"

Lloyd was there, wrapping some hanging rope around Kai's neck. Tightening his hold, he held the Fire Ninja back, and Kai gasped for air.

"LET GO OF HIM!" Lily yelled, pushing Nya away and grabbing Lloyd's hands.

"You get me the old man's staff, I'll let you have your dear friend back. Both of them." The entity sneered. It didn't look natural on Lloyd's kind face.

"Why should I trust somebody who possessed my boyfriend?" Lily said. Kai's face was turning blue.

The entity laughed. "Boyfriend? Is that who you are?" He looked down at himself. "Then allow me to give you a kiss for him." He opened up his palms, letting the rope fall to the ground and releasing Kai. The air-deprived Ninja doubled over, gasping.

Lily put up her fists.

"Why so serious? You really think your boyfriend would hurt you? Didn't think you two were that toxic." He laughed, walking closer.

"Shut up." Lily said darkly. " _You're_ not my boyfriend. I will not allow you to use his body to-" She was interrupted by a pressure against her whole body. The entity came forward pressed his lips to her own. As the pressure continued to increase, it brought up a hand to her chin and held her close with the other. Lily tried to push herself away with her free arms, but just raising her arm was like moving a mountain. The air pressure was insanely powerful. As the kiss dragged on, she could feel the oxygen being sucked from her body, weakening her more.

Her vision began to falter.

Suddenly the entity leaned back and screamed. He looked down in rage, finding Kai having just preformed a stance-dropping chop to his shins. It fell back, unable to stand because of the pain in his nerves, and watched angrily as Kai went over to Lily and helped her up. But he didn't leave.

"I know you're in there!" Kai cried out. "I know you're here, Lloyd!"

For a moment, Lloyd's eyes flashed between a dull green to an emerald.

"Kai..."

The Fire Ninja inhaled sharply. "Lloyd?"

"...Help me..." He groaned. Lloyd's eyes went dull and he screamed in another voice, getting up. Kai began to back away, and an anchor dropped down near him. He looked up, and saw his friend waving to him, begging him to get on the ship. Kai instead looked back at Lloyd, who seemed to be switching control continuously between the entity and himself.

"I can't leave you!" Kai screamed over the wind.

"Run...before I hurt you again..." Lloyd gasped.

Kai felt the anchor move toward him, and the tip of it grabbed him by the back of his shirt. He struggled to hold onto Lily as the Bounty began to fly away. Lloyd grew smaller and smaller, until he was no longer visible to the naked eye. The anchor rose up, and both Ninja were helped up onto the ship. Lily held onto the railing, shivering, but awake.

"I promised him I wouldn't leave him." Kai said. "I...I promised."

"It's okay. We'll return." Wu put a hand on Kai's back. "We just need to figure out a plan."

"First of all, mind spilling it to us how you know the creature that took Lloyd over?!" Jay screeched.

Wu sighed, looked down at the boards of the Destiny's Bounty. "You...were not my first students."

Five pairs of eyes stared at him in shock.

"Lloyd has been possessed by the spirit of my first pupil, Morro. the Master of Wind."

...

On the ground, Morro got up shakily. He looked at the Bounty fading away from view, and laughing.

"I enjoyed that kiss." He said, happily to himself. "Well, then. I've decided."

Green smoke surrounded him, and a dragon manifested. It's wings burst through the walls and roof of the tea shop. A screeching, banshee-like roar make the rice fields shake. Clasping the reins, Morro laughed heartily.

"After this is over, she'll be mine."


	72. Minor Convolvulus

It was cold.

Multiple times during their flight, Morro had attempted to take their ship by force using his dragon. It looked so much like Lloyd's, but...twisted and wrong. It's wings were torn and it's cry sounded like a death rattle.

They ended up diverting from their attempted path and crash-landing in a forest near the Old Monastery. During the flight, Wu managed to inscribe a secret message on his staff, then tossed it out the window as a diversion. Turns out that was all Morro wanted-the staff and it's supposed message. Even though Wu had to sacrifice any chance of Morro not getting the inscription, it was worth it to get everyone else out alive.

Nya was understandably pissed at the current situation. She had just fixed the ship a month or so prior, and now here it laid, broken _again_. The entire time she stayed at the controls, yelling in Spanish.

Wu explained that he connected the message of the staff to something his father once said: "I will leave you a path, leading to my final resting place". He was certain that this is what the message was implying, instructions to the Tomb of the First Spinjitsu Master.

It awed everyone. Right there, on a scrap of paper, was the map to the Founder of Ninjago's dead body. Of course, everyone held him in great reverence, but often it felt like he was just a myth, a legend. Yet this proved he was real and still here in Ninjago.

In order to properly decipher the message, Cole suggested that they find Misako and regroup. Zane happily presented a project he'd been meaning to show the team-his Falcon, but now coated with refined silver feathers. It squawked and proudly displayed it wings, strutting about with it's beak in the air. Zane then sent it out to go find Misako and relay their information.

Afterwards, Lily sat down, and took in everything that happened.

Lloyd was gone.

The Bounty had crashed, again.

The Master of Air had returned.

Her friends had no power.

Tears began to well up in her eyes. Lily let out a quiet sob. This was too much, too much for a single day. Times like these were when she could really use a hug from Lloyd...but he was in greater danger than any of them combined. The realization made her stomach twist into knots.

Goosebumps popped up on her skin, even under her gi, and Lily shivered as a ~~_dead_~~ hand touched her shoulder, it's claws digging into her skin. It was so cold, colder than Zane's ice.

"How is everything faring?" Asked the undead soul, the rest of the Anacondrai corpse materializing next to her. Lily stared at it numbly, it's blood-soaked jaw hanging loose from it's head. "I hear you have two spirits to worry about now, haha."

Lily hastily swung at it with one of her kama, but only got thin air. Next time, however, she may hit somebody she didn't want to hit. Shakily, she put her blade back into it's pouch. Her shoulder still hurt, even though nothing had really touched it. Even so, Lily lifted her gi to check for marks.

"Lloyd, you idiot." Lily muttered. "Why in the world did we let you go alone?"

...

It felt like he was asleep, watching himself play out a dream.

Lloyd was so tired of fighting the spirit. Even getting three words out was exhausting. He had opted to warn Kai and then take a long nap, at least until he could muster the strength to keep fighting again.

But it wasn't so easy. Even when he tried to force his mind to go blank, to relinquish all mental control to Morro, he saw each and every event play out crystal clear in front of his eyes. He saw himself fight his friends on the ship. He saw himself taking Wu's staff, watching the ship crash, and flying in another direction. Lloyd knew exactly where they were going, exactly why they were doing all of this.

It scared him.

He saw himself enter a street-side tavern. It was loud, unwelcoming. He wanted to cover his ears, but Morro's control was too powerful. He walked up to the bar, and pointed to something on the menu. Sake. The bartender tossed a shot over to him.

Much to Lloyd's horror, Morro took the drink and downed it in a single gulp. It tasted disgusting, burning his throat. And he wasn't even of legal age!

 _What would Father think of me?_ He thought sorrowfully.

 _Shut up._ Morro replied.

Lloyd did just that.

...

While Misako deciphered the message, Wu spilled the tea to everyone.

Morro was an orphan, who had happened upon the old monastery in search of food. Taking pity, Wu took him to be his student, practically adopting him. He thought Morro could be the destined hero, the Green Ninja. He filled Morro's head with ideas and fantasies, only to discover this was not the destined case. Angry, Morro stormed off, reckless with abandon.

"I am saddened he was banished to the Cursed Realm." Wu finished off the rest of his rice. "But what worries me more is that he escaped, and for what reason?" The crackling of the fire reflected in his eyes, making them look like embers of twilight. "To save Lloyd and return your powers, you must find my father's tomb before he does, and protect whatever mystery it holds. Or else."

"What do we do until then?" Jay asked. "I...I'm not used to being powerless."

Nya let out a small "humph" in reply.

"It's not like it hasn't happened before." Lily reminded him. "Didn't you say you lost your golden weapons once?"

"Yeah, we lost the conduit but not the actual powers themselves." Kai explained. "Last time, we didn't know how to tap into them rawly. This time...we have nothing to tap into at all."

Lily put a small bite of egg into her mouth, thinking. Cole tapped her shoulder lightly, making her look at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, brows furrowed.

"...Yeah." She lied. "I'm okay."

The corpse grabbed her attention for just a moment. She turned her attention back to the crackling fire and warm food. "But if we were all in the Temple when we were gaining the elemental boost, why am I the only one who hasn't lost any power?" She raised her hand, and a purple smoke began to give off it to make a point.

"My theory," Zane began, "Is that when we passed our powers to Lloyd then, they bonded with Lloyd's spirit in order to fully access the Golden Power." He tapped a finger to the side of his chin. "When they were transferred back to us, they still held parts of Lloyd's energy, forever binding the five of us together. But for you, Lily, your role was like a wire connecting a battery to a computer. You didn't have to give Lloyd any power, you just had to let it flow between us. Therefore, you don't have the same kind of connection with your element."

"...I didn't understand any of that." Jay admitted.

"Apologies. It's the best explanation I have." Zane shrugged.

"How about a metaphor, or a simile?" Cole suggested.

"Mmm...okay. One cup of water represents our powers, and Lloyd's is in a separate cup of oil. Lily was the gravity that let our water be poured into his cup. Then our water was poured back into our cup, but still held some of Lloyd's oil. Therefore, Lily's gravity was exempt."

Kai blinked a few times, and put his head in the crook of his palm. "That was actually a really good analogy."

"Thank you."

Lily wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. The night breeze was freezing. She noticed Kai's eyes struggling to stay open, and decided rest was the best option. She and the others pulled sleeping bags from the ruins of the Bounty and clocked in for the night.

...

_When she opened her eyes, Lily was greeted to a pleasant surprise._

_There he stood. Lloyd, having returned from his possession of his own free will._

_Lily kicked off her bedsheets and ran towards him, embracing him tightly. "I missed you..."_

_"No you didn't." He responded. Lily felt something...warm, trickling down the side of her neck. She pulled away to see his jaw open and hanging to the left, blood pooling from it like a river. She screamed, scrambling backwards and falling onto the forest ground. She put a hand up to defend herself, only to stare at it in horror._

_It was covered in blood._

_"You didn't miss me at all." Lloyd groaned. "You got a perfect hit..." His neck snapped to the side, and his body dissolved into snakes. They swarmed over Lily in seconds, coiling around her. Binding her legs and hands together, they began to squeeze._

_"IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FAULT!" The snakes screamed._

_Lily couldn't even scream as she suffocated and passed out._

...

The Violet Ninja opened her eyes, staring stiffly into the night sky. The sound of birds alerted her it was early morning, just before sunrise. The echoes of "it's your fault" still rang in her ears.

She sat up firm. It _was_ her fault. It was always her fault. Because of her, that man-snake was dead. Because of her, Lloyd had gone off on his own. Because of her, her brother was dead. The pain was unbearable. It began to hurt physically...

Lily paused, and stared at her hands. Oh. She had gripped them hard enough they began to bleed. She let a purple shine run over her hands and wiped the blood on the bedsheet.

She got up and began to start a fire.


	73. AN: I Will Finish This!

Hello, friends!

First of all, thank you for sticking with me for so long. I know I haven't updated this story in a long time, and I'm truly sorry. I've just been working on so many other fanfics that I haven't been able to give this one much attention; and before that, I was recovering from a recent depressive episode.

This will be finished. I'm not going to orphan or abandon this project I've worked so hard on. I have a whole story set out, and I'm going to give it to you guys! All I ask is that you please be patient. They say good things come to those who wait.

I love you guys!


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